Breaking lives down to their knees
by me.fergie
Summary: Ryan never talks much about his family. And if anyone knew what happened, they wouldn't wonder why. My version of Ryan's childhood. Mentions of physical and mental abuse, punishment, etc. More in AN Chapter One.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone, I am back. Before anyone starts screaming, yes, I will also continue with _Eyeliner and cigarettes_. But right now, I wanted this up. It's the new and IMHO better version of _He still stands inspite of what his scars say_. I have become a better writer in these past years, my mind has become more perverted, and of course the show has added new stuff that I can perfectly fit into my story. I leave the original up for now, I don't know when or even if I'll take it down. This story is here IMHO is different enough so I can keep both here. We'll see to that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI Miami or its characters. I do own my OCs though, which means Ryan's family, his friends, the bullies and every other person that will appear later on which u have not seen on the show. Neither do i own the quotes at the beginning of the chapters. The title of the fic is taken from the lyrics of Rihanna's G4L.  
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**Special thanks go to my Beta Dragonfriend95, who is an amazing writer herself. **

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**Chapter One**

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_Where does discipline end? Where does cruelty begin? Somewhere between these, thousands of children inhabit a voiceless hell."_Francois Muriac

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Ryan Wolfe had been a happy child. Well, at least in the first years of his life. The first four years, perhaps. Only he didn't remember much of those. The first thing he remembered, and most probably the only thing from that time, was when his little sister had been born. He remembered when he had been to the hospital with his father, looking through the glass window at the all the little babies. His father, Duke Arman Wolfe, had pointed at one and said, "Look, Ryan. That's your little baby sister, Deborah." Then he had sighed, "We could have had a huge family. But the doctors told me that it was too dangerous, for your mother, you know. Now, it's only you, Deborah, your mother and me." He laid his hand on Ryan's shoulder, his tone suddenly grew colder, "You're the only son I have, Ryan. I hope to God you are fit and ready to do what I expect from you."

Ryan had looked up at his father, "What do you expect from me, daddy?"

Duke continued looking at his baby girl, "Maybe you are too young to understand that right now, but you will become a soldier."

"A soldier?" Ryan knew what a soldier was. Many of them came to see his father. And he knew that his father was a soldier, too, even though he had no idea what that meant.

"Yes. A soldier."

Ryan scratched his head, "But I want to be a fireman when I'm grown up."

Now, Duke looked down at him, "You won't become a fireman. You will be a soldier. Like everyone in the family." He paused before he said, "And I think it is time to start preparing you now."

"What do you mean, daddy?"

Duke's eyes grew hard, "From now on, Ryan, you will call me 'Sir'. And your mother 'Ma'am'. Any disobedience will result in punishment."

"Punishment?" Ryan didn't understand. Up to this day, his father had never laid hand on him.

"Yes. Punishment. To become a soldier, you have to be strong. And strength comes with suffering and discipline."

"What is discipline, daddy?"

Duke gave him a short slap to the back of his head, "It's 'Sir'. You will find out what discipline means in due time."

And boy, he had been right.

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The next vivid memory Ryan had was from his eighth birthday. That day, his father had decided that it was time for the world to see that Ryan Wolfe would become a soldier one day. He had called Ryan downstairs after the boy had gotten out of the shower. When Ryan arrived in the kitchen, his father motioned him to a chair. "Sit down."

Ryan did what he was told, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Ryan." Duke walked up behind Ryan. Ryan waited for something to happen. And then, he heard the noise. A cold, definite noise. He jumped from the chair, his hand jerking up to his ear. And there he felt it: an almost bald spot. "What are you doing?"

His father stood there, with the lock of hair that he had just cut off in his hand. He dropped it and glared at Ryan, "Sit down again!"

"No! I don't want a haircut!"

"You will obey, Ryan. Sit down."

"No!" Ryan shook his head fiercely. "Why do I need a haircut?"

"Come closer, and I will show you." When Ryan again didn't obey, Duke came over. Before Ryan could react, Duke got a grip in his hair and started pulling. Ryan started screaming, but Duke didn't stop, he just pulled harder, "You see why you need a haircut? Because it hurts when your enemy pulls at it. You must never give your enemy a chance to hurt you! Never, you hear me?" He pulled one last time and then let go. "Besides, a soldier has to look neat and disciplined. And with that hair of yours, it isn't possible. This is why I will cut it now. And you will sit down again." Ryan rubbed his head, tears of pain stinging in his eyes. "Sit down. Or do I have to make you?" When Ryan didn't answer immediately, Duke said, "I suggest you do as I say. And, for future references, you will always do what I say. You will obey to my every word. If you don't, you will learn what it truly means to disobey me. And you will regret having pushed me that far. A soldier always follows orders. And I will teach you to follow my orders. Now, sit down." Ryan, still holding his head, got back on the chair. For the next few minutes, he watched as locks of brown hair piled up on the floor. More and more every time, the cold noise of the scissors telling him that his father had just cut off another strand. Just how short did he want to cut it? Ryan found out when he finally heard the humming noise of the hair clipper. All came off. "And stop crying. Crying is for girls."

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Later that day, Ryan sat in his room, on his bed, running his hands over his bald head. What would the other children at school say? They would make fun of him, laugh at him, and make jokes about his haircut. For weeks and weeks. Children were cruel. He ran his hands over his head again. And again. And again. Just why had his father done this? Did he want the other children at school to make fun of him? He got up from his bed and silently walked over to the bathroom. Once there, he locked the door and looked into the mirror. The shock over what he saw almost made him cry again. What he had known before from touching was now sad reality. Nothing was left of his once dark and full hair. If he didn't know it was him standing there in front of the mirror, he wouldn't have recognized his face anymore. It was like a completely different person, staring at him with big hazel eyes, suspiciously wet. He had avoided looking into the mirror, earlier, when he had discarded his hair into the trashcan in the bathroom, but now, he couldn't look away. It was as if he wanted to check if this really was him. As if simple looks could make his hair grow back in seconds again. But it didn't. Ryan swallowed his tears back. He couldn't cry now. If somebody noticed, he would feel even more humiliated than he did now.

Slowly, he turned his eyes away from the mirror and sat down on the floor. His hand automatically reached for the trash can. As he took the cover off and looked into it, he felt sadness overcoming him even more. He reached into it and took a handful hair out. His hair. After his father had cut it all off, he had left Ryan alone with dustpan and brush to clean the floor. Ryan had done it, trying to hide his shame and tears. When he had finally cleaned it all, he had thrown his hair away. Now he looked at the handful he was holding. Long brown strands, still with the smell of shampoo still on them. They were gone now. Gone was the old Ryan. All that remained was what he saw now in the mirror. A different Ryan. He even felt somehow reluctant to call this person Ryan. It couldn't be him, could it? This kid with the bald head wasn't him. The kid that had looked back at him in the mirror this morning, the one with the fuzzy brown hair, that was him. He swallowed again, but this time, he couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Before anyone could disturb him in the bathroom, he quickly closed the trashcan again and ran back to his room. There, he threw himself on the bed again and silently wept into his pillows. What had his daddy done to him? Why had he done it? It was only when he turned his head to the wall that he noticed he still held on to the strands he had taken from the trashcan. He continued looking at them for a while before he hid them in one of his old school books. He didn't understand what had happened, but it felt like he needed this hair to remind him that this ugly bald head in the mirror really was his.

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Now, almost 9 years later, Ryan had understood. This haircut had been the start of his new life. His life completely controlled by his father, with no self-control whatsoever. It had never been the same again after this eighth birthday. Duke had started to control everything. Everything he did, everything he said, hell, even when he said it. One of the first rules his father had given him was to only speak when spoken to. _One of the rules…_There were so many more… One of them was the haircut. Up to that day, Ryan had to wear his hair short. 3 mm on each side of his head, 6 mm on top. He hated it, but there was nothing he could do about it. His father even decided what he had to wear: long trousers, button down shirts, sweater vests. He looked like a dork, and many of the other guys at school laughed at him. But Ryan usually just shrugged and ignored the comments. Never would he tell his father what he felt about it, and never ever would he dare and wear something different. His father had ordered it. And he had talked… _beaten_… into him that he had to follow those orders. Beaten… Ryan got up from his bed and walked over to the window. It was night, and the city of Boston was asleep. But Ryan Wolfe wasn't. He was 16 now, and his 17th birthday was close. Soon, his father would ask him to sign up. Ask him… tell him. Force him. For the past 9 years, Duke Wolfe had made sure that, when the day finally came, his son would be ready. Many sleepless night, many fear filled days. And Ryan didn't know what to do. He didn't want to be a soldier. He didn't know what he wanted to do instead, but running through mud in a country that wasn't his definitely wasn't on his list. But what choice did he have?

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**I know some of you wondered why I wanted to rewrite _Scars_. I think this one's better. Plz read and review, if you feel this is worth it. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, everyone, here's Chapter Two. But before u get to read this, I wanna say something. Chapter One has been up for two days now. As of now, 121 have apparently read it. I wanna say thank you. I also wanna say thank you to the people who have added the story to their alert list. But what I noticed is that I haven't got a single review. Now, I'm not one of those who goes "IF you don't review, I'm not gonna continue on this story", because I think that's insulting. Still, I'm wondering why don't I get at least some. I think I can say completely objectively that the story is not bad. It might not be the best piece ever written, but it's definitely better than those stories that do get a 1000 reviews saying "Don't ever dare to write again!" I don't wanna beg or anything, I just feel that you as readers if you like a story should give at least a bit of feedbck to all the writers (not only me) that do take their time to research and write for their own and for YOUR entertainment. Not reviewing will probably make some of those writers just discontinue a story, and I think nobody would like that. Join the review revolution like I did. Okay, rant over. Now, enjoy :o)**

**Disclaimer: See Chapter One  
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**Beta: Dragonfriend95**

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**Chapter 2 **

**How do you l****ove in a house without feelings? (Razorlight – Wire to wire)**

"Ryan?" There was a soft knock on his door, and a second later, his mother entered. Doreen Wolfe was an amazingly beautiful woman. Long blond hair, blue eyes, slim and tender. While Ryan was the spitting image of his father, with the dark brown hair and the hazel eyes, everything else, he had inherited from his mother. The way he walked, the way he ran his fingers through his hair…_ over his head_…, the way he titled his head when listening to people… yeah, even the warm look in his eyes. Now she smiled at him, "I just wanted to tell you that your father is expecting visitors tonight. Thought you might like to iron your suit or so."

"Thanks, Ma'am, I will."

She gave him a short smile and left. Ryan sighed and put his book away. So, another evening with many fun-filled stories about the army lay ahead of him, wasn't that just great? He got up from the bed and walked over to his wardrobe. With expert eyes, he checked the suit. Goddammit, he really needed to iron it. That would take him almost an hour for it to be perfect. How did that happen? It hung neatly over the hanger, far away from any other clothing. There couldn't be tucks all over it! He gave it a closer look but came up with the same result. There were tucks. He needed the iron.

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About one hour later, he was still ironing it. By now, his hands had started shaking. _I can't get it right_… Goddammit, the tucks just didn't go away. He had ironed it over and over again, but nothing had changed. Sweat was on his face and he could wipe it away as much as he wanted, but it just wouldn't go away. Finally, he put the iron away and sat down on his bed again, trying hard to calm down. His father would freak out on him. He had done it before, so many times, when something wasn't up to his wishes, be it the bed room, Ryan's outfit, Ryan's hair…. A suit with tucks when his army friends were there would earn Ryan… he didn't even want to think about it. He looked at the ceiling, then got up again and went back to the ironing board. He had to iron it, he had to… His father would otherwise punish him. When he grabbed the iron, he sighed; so there it was again. This obsession. It had grown out of fear, he guessed, back when his father had started to make him clean his own room. Hours and hours, he had spent cleaning it, and, when it hadn't been good enough, his father had punished him. Until he had learned how to do it properly. And he had learned it. And anything out of order bothered him. At the beginning, because it had meant punishment. Now, because it gave him a feeling of failure, and the feeling of something bad that would happen when somebody discovered. Like now. He knew something bad would happen if he didn't get this tucks out. And he knew, this time, something bad would happen to him. And only him. Another hour later, he gave up, completely exhausted. It hadn't helped. There still were tucks, but Ryan was at a point where he didn't care anymore. He had spent two hours of his life ironing that suit, and nothing had changed. The only thing he could hope now was that he father didn't notice. But of course he would. Ryan would notice it too if this was somebody else's suit. And his father was way better at such things. So, to avoid hoping for something that would inevitably happen, he'd better hope that the punishment wouldn't be too cruel. He sighed and got into the shower. The cold water didn't really calm him down, but at least it refreshed him and fought the ghosts of tiredness and exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm him. Sheesh, he couldn't sit at the dinner table tonight yawning all the time; his dad would smack him so hard he'd land face front in the soup. Not that it had happened before, but he always had new ways of making Ryan's life a living hell, so actually it wasn't too far fetched… Hopefully it would be at the end of dinner, when the soup had already cooled down a bit.

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At 7 PM sharp, Ryan stood in the living room, wearing his suit, a tie, and clean shoes. His sister Deborah, 13 years old now, was standing next to him. Her blonde hair was flowing freely over her shoulders almost down to her waist, and she wore a nice summer dress. Ryan felt a twinge of jealousy. While his father controlled everything he said or did, Deborah was always free to do what she wanted and look like she wanted, wear the dresses she wanted… And still that didn't stop her from picking on her older brother at every opportunity. Even now, she couldn't stop looking at him, pulling faces. Ryan at some point lost patience, "What is it?"

She smiled, "Nothing. I just thought you look like an idiot, with all those tucks in the suit. Didn't daddy teach you how to iron properly?"

"Shut your trap!" Ryan hissed. "You know what he'll do to me if he notices."

She laughed, "Whom are you kidding? Of course he will notice. Better tell him straight ahead. He'll just beat the shit out of you. At least you don't have to suffer through this tremendously boring dinner."

"Yeah, but I'll suffer through a tremendously broken nose." He said gloomily. "Come on, don't tell him."

"What do I get in return?"

"What do you want?"

"Apart from seeing you begging? You'll do my chores for a month."

"Deal." Ryan let out a breath. So, at least his sister wouldn't spill the beans. The only thing left now was to hope his father would be too preoccupied with his guests to notice it.

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Half an hour later, Ryan, his parents and sister and their guests were sitting at the dinner table. While Duke and his friend, a recruiter, as Ryan had found out, were discussing the new recruits, Ryan desperately tried to hide the fact that he was not only tired as hell, but also extremely bored. He knew he mustn't; his father had brought this guy over probably just again to emphasize how wonderful the army would be, and he should be listening with ears wide open. But he just couldn't help it. As much as he fought against it, he had to yawn. His father immediately gave him a look that made him clench his teeth. And if this wasn't enough, suddenly his father took a closer look at him, and as his eyes suddenly rested on a particular point, Ryan knew his father had discovered a tuck. God, he was such an idiot! It could have all gone well if he hadn't yawned and thereby drawn his father's attention to him. He lowered his head in knowledge of what would await him tonight.

But that was another mistake, "Ryan! Sit up straight!" His father's voice was not silent and sharp as usual; it was loud.

Ryan flinched and almost dropped his spoon. "Sorry, Sir." Goddammit, could he actually do something right today? Apparently not. Exactly, when had it started going wrong? With that rebellious suit. Before that, it had been a great day; he had been at school, nobody had bullied him, after that he had been at the boxing club, then later at his karate lesson. He had managed to survive lunch without any calamities. And then he had started freaking out over that stupid suit, and from there on his day had gone downhill…

"SIT UP STRAIGHT!"

Ryan woke up from his trance with a start. He immediately noticed what had gone wrong this time. Having thought of this crap of a day, he had absently planted his elbows on the table. He sat up straight again and muttered a low apology, knowing it wouldn't change a thing anymore. He didn't make himself any illusions that he could do anything now that would make his punishment less hard. Instead, he tried to figure out what he father would do this time. What he had said earlier to Deborah, with the broken nose, he didn't believe. His father, after all, wasn't some scumbag who beat up his kids just for fun. He would never beat him so hard. Well, maybe he'd get a lesson with the belt or the cane tonight, but he could be sure there would be no broken bones. Otherwise, what would his father do? There were many possibilities…

"GOD DAMN IT, RYAN!" He raised his head, only to meet his father's furious face. "Will you sit straight now, or do I have to make you?" He hadn't noticed that his right elbow was on the table again. "I thought we've been through this before."

"I'm… I apologize, Sir, I was just thinking…"

"You're not supposed to think, you're supposed to listen." His father bellowed. "Now sit up straight or I WILL make you."

Until now, none of the guests of the family had reacted. But the recruiter shook his head, "He failed three times, Duke. If that was my son, I'd have done something the first time already. But I think now you should seriously do something against this."

Ryan glared over at the guy, but Duke nodded, "You are right, Theodore. I seem to have cut him too much slack these last weeks. Ryan, get up." Ryan hesitated for a second. "Ryan. I told you to get up."

Ryan took a deep breath and then got up. He knew what his father planned to do, he just hoped he wouldn't do it here, "Sir, please…"

"Did I allow you to speak? Go over to that wall." Ryan lowered his head, already now feeling humiliated. "A bit faster. I have a soup waiting for me." Ryan hurried up and stood with his back against the wall. Duke grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him firmly against it. Then he pinioned the back of his head and his feet and his arms against the wall, all the while using enough force to leave bruises. As Ryan stood there, motionless, Duke hissed, "I recommend you stay here and don't move. You're in for a long evening as it is, don't provoke me anymore."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but please, not in front of this guy." Ryan whispered.

"I might choose to not let him witness the punishment later if you behave now, but you will stand here, in front of his eyes, for the rest of the evening. That'll teach you a lot."

"Sir, please…"

"Shut up now. Or do you want me to let him witness the rest of this evening? I doubt it." He looked at Ryan, waiting for a response, and as Ryan shook his head, he smiled, "I knew it. Now, I don't want to hear or see anything again from you until they leave. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir." Ryan lowered his gaze to show his father that he had won.

"Good." Duke returned to the dinner table, leaving Ryan at the wall for everybody to see. Ryan tried to only look straight ahead, to not let his eyes wander. But nevertheless, he could feel that they were looking at him, especially the visitor. Ryan didn't know whether he just wanted to check on how he was behaving, or whether he was actually enjoying seeing him being humiliated. Because that was what Ryan felt right now. He could imagine how the people in the Middle Ages had felt when they were publically exposed on a pillory. The satisfied glance of the guy burned into his body even though he wasn't even entirely sure the man looked at him, as he avoided eye contact. But he felt it nevertheless, and it made him feel like crap.

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It took another three hours until the guests finally left the Wolfe mansion. While the last hours had been humiliating enough, it was nothing compared to the fear Ryan felt now as his father closed the front door and came back to the dining room. But before he did anything to Ryan, he poured himself a glass of brandy and sat down, looking at his son. Ryan did not react, only continued looking straight ahead. He took a few sips from it. Then he put the glass on the table and asked, "So… this was an eventful evening, wasn't it? Is there anything you'd like to say?"

Ryan didn't move, he only said, "I am sorry for what I've done."

"What have you done?"

"Quite a lot. I didn't iron my suit properly. I yawned. I didn't sit straight at dinner."

"And what else?"

Ryan bit his lip, "I failed to immediately obey when you told me to get up."

"You did, indeed." Duke took another sip. "Anything else you'd like to say?"

Ryan swallowed; if his father asked like this, there normally was something he should say. But he couldn't think of anything he had left out. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I can't think of anything else."

"How about 'thank you'?"

"For what?" The words escaped his mouth before he even thought them, and the tone to it would be enough to make his father even more furious as he was. He mentally slapped himself. "I'm sorry, Sir."

"You ask me for what you should be thankful? Well, let me tell you, I could have invited Mr Douglas over to stay for what is to follow. I'm sure he'd have a nice time, since it's his job to break recruits before he shapes them into soldiers. I'm dead sure he would have also enjoyed a bit of that in his free time. But I decided to not to, because you begged me earlier on, and I thought that it would be enough for one day if you stand there with everybody looking at you. You can move now, by the way."

Ryan moved his head slowly just to lower it again, "I'm sorry, I didn't think like that. Thank you, Sir."

"Good. Now, I suggest you are waiting for your punishment." He looked Ryan into the eyes. "You're afraid?"

"Yes, Sir." Lying wouldn't make a difference; Duke would hear the trembling in his voice.

"I'd say nevertheless, because I think being humiliated like that is enough, I'll leave out any corporal punishment. Just this time. Next time, you'll get the double of it." Ryan winced under the bare words. "However, I'm not gonna let you go without being punished at all. You will stand here, all night long, against that wall. And don't dare sleeping, because I'll be back to check on you. Any questions?"

"I have school tomorrow, Sir."

"So?"

Ryan continued staring at the floor. "Nothing, Sir." He wouldn't care about whether or not Ryan would fight tiredness all day long and probably fall asleep in school.

"Of course, if you'd rather prefer a few beats with the belt… it's your choice, Ryan."

But Ryan knew that one. Whatever he said, his dad would choose in the end anyway. So he just said, "Whatever you think appropriate."

"Good answer." He got up. "I'll be back with you at some point in the night. Anytime." He chuckled, "And while you might think that I'm being strict, or while you might even hate me, just think about the fact that if you were Theodore's son, he'd given you both a corporal lesson and this one. Speaking of, you might know him; he's at your school. Darren Douglas. Anyways. Have a good night." Duke left, glass of brandy in his hand, and switched the lights off.

Ryan's eyes needed sometime to adjust to the darkness, and already he wished he had chosen the beating. He just wanted to sleep, but he knew if he did, he wouldn't be able to sleep on his back for at least a week. So he just focused on staying awake, congratulating himself for being in this mess and wondering how he would ever make it through school tomorrow.

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**Poor Ryan. And we're just at the beginning. So much more to come... Anyways, please do remember to give feedback. I am much grateful for any review and CC. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow. Thanks, folks. Especially those that indeed took their timeto not only read my rant, but also to those that reviewed. THANK YOU! It means a lot to any author. Well, long story short, here's my new chappie. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: See Chapter One  
**

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**Chapter Three **

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Bite the dust, trust me anything you can do, I can do better than you**** (The Pussycat Dolls – Bite the dust)**

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"Wolfe? Wolfeman, wake up!" Ryan was startled out of his sleep. "Man, what's up with you, this is the third time already I've had to wake you up." Ryan's best mate Daniel looked at him, clearly wondering what was up. "You can be happy that I'm such a nice kid. Other people would have thrown you off the chair by now."

Ryan yawned, "You're not nice. This is the third time you're ramming your elbow into my hip. But I'm sorry, I had a rough night."

"What was up, you had a girl over?" Daniel smirked.

"Plenty of." Ryan yawned again. "No, just sleeping trouble. Is class over now? Did Mr Palmer notice something?"

"No, he was much too preoccupied with explaining… something." Daniel grinned.

Ryan had to grin, too; Daniel was the complete opposite of him, and still, the two had been best friends since kindergarten. He got up, "So, I guess that's it for today. Finally, I can go home and hopefully sleep a bit." After having been awake the whole night, the only thing Ryan wanted to do was to go home and sleep.

Daniel packed his bag, "So, no boxing today?"

Ryan shrugged, "If you want a victim instead of an opponent, I'll be happy to oblige. But I might go down before you even hit me."

"You're just making up excuses for loosing against me already."

"Yeah, that's what you think." The two walked out the classroom. At that moment, Ryan had to yawn heartily and closed his eyes. As a consequence, he bumped into somebody. "Oh, geez, I'm sorry."

"Watch where you… Now look, if that isn't Ryan Wolfe?"

Ryan raised his head, sighing as he saw the face that belonged to the voice. "Vince McCormick. Sorry for bumping into you. I didn't pay attention." He saw Vince's friends crowding around him. "Won't happen again."

Vince grinned down at him, "Sure as hell it won't happen again."

Ryan rolled his eyes, "Look, if you want to cause trouble now, go look for someone else, I'm really not in the mood today." He knew that Vince probably didn't care whether he was in the right mood; after all, he hadn't cared for the last 4 years. If he wanted to beat him up, he would do it, regardless of if Ryan felt like being shoved around or not.

And as he had guessed, Vince really didn't care, "Wolfe, if you run around with your eyes closed and bump into me, you're bound to have trouble." Then he grinned, "But I guess I'll leave it for today. Heard you already got smacked around yesterday."

"What do you mean?" Ryan cocked his eyebrow. Vince surely couldn't mean boxing the day before. After all, Ryan had won his match.

"My friend Darry here told me Daddy Wolfe wasn't particularly happy with you yesterday." Vince smirked while pointing at a guy standing next to him.

Now Ryan remembered that his father had told him Douglas' son was at his school. And yeah, Ryan did know the guy. For those last 4 years, Douglas, Vince and his gang had always been bullying him. Of course, it didn't bother Ryan much, as he not only had other problems on his mind but also didn't give a damn about those blockheads. But that had changed now; somebody had spilt something about his situation at home, and that was one thing he didn't like. "At least my father doesn't lie on the couch all day long completely drunk wondering who the hell I am."

He had hit a nerve there. Vince, whose father was a known alcoholic, looked at him with unhidden hatred in his eyes, "At least my father doesn't beat the shit out of me when I don't sit straight at the table."

"That's because he always sees two Vinces in front of him, so it's kinda hard for him to aim." Ryan murmured.

Vince grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the wall, "You'd better take that back immediately, or I'll break your nose."

Ryan only gave him a look, "You do realize I have the brown belt, do you? I can break your neck before you've even raised your fist, so I suggest you just let me go."

Now, Darren Douglas laid his hand on Vince's shoulder, "Come on, moose. Too many folks around." Vince seemed hesitant for a second, but then he let go of Ryan. Darren patted him on the shoulder; then he turned to Ryan. "You're in the boxing club, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"How about we settle this man to man? You against me? In the ring?"

Daniel laughed, "Vince, you need this guy to settle you stuff?"

"Rosenberg, I advise you to shut up if you don't wanna take Wolfe's place." Vince glanced at Daniel.

"Try me." Daniel seemed up for a fight.

But again Douglas got in between, "You two shut up now. So, Wolfe, how about it?"

Ryan shook his head, "Thanks, but I don't think I have anything to settle." He didn't know why some people seemed to believe he was stupid enough to beat up the son of his father's army friend and recruiter.

Douglas grinned, "Come on, be a sport. Or are you afraid I'll get to break your nose?"

"Yeah, if you say so, that's probably it." Ryan was by now really bored and wanted nothing but to go home and get a nice sleep, or at least get into a good nice box fight with Daniel. "Can I leave now?"

"As you wish… I guess I'll just go home and tell my dad that his friend's son is a coward."

Ryan bit his lip; his father wouldn't be too pleased to hear that. He had three possibilities: be better than Vince and his guys and just decline, get into the ring and beat Darren silly, or get into the ring and let Darren beat him silly, so that there wouldn't be any repercussions between his father and Douglas Senior. Either way, it was a lose-lose situation, so he could as well use the extra exercise. He turned around and said, "Okay, if you absolutely want to. How about in 2 hours?"

"I'll be there, Wolfe. Better get some tissues ready, because you'll be down in seconds." Darren turned away and left. Vince gave Ryan and Daniel a grin and followed his friend. So did the rest of the guys.

Daniel grinned at Ryan, "How about a little bet?"

"Sure. What'cha wanna bet on?"

"Knock Out in Round 2. You win."

Ryan nodded, "I'll bet 5 bucks on Knock Out Round One. I'll win."

The two shook hands and Daniel said, "So, what was up with you and your dad? Trouble?"

"The usual stuff." Daniel knew that Ryan's relationship with his father was strained, but he didn't know jack about the truth that went on in the Wolfe home."

"So, he didn't smack you around?"

"No. You know, people always talk crap."

"Good. 'Cause I would hate you to lose against Douglas later."

Ryan remembered the satisfied look in Douglas Seniors eyes when his father had humiliated him the day before; now, he would give it back to him. "Don't worry. When I'm done with him his dad won't even recognize him anymore."

* * *

Ryan was already at the boxing club when Darren entered. The coach leaned towards him, "Are you really sure you wanna do this, Ryan? The guy is not an easy victim for you."

Ryan shrugged, "He asked me, I said yes."

Daniel, who sat next to him, added, "And he needs an opponent for once, not only victims."

The coach nodded, "True, yes. Just watch out for his right hook. And he's not the fairest fighter ever, so watch your guts and kidneys. The best thing you can do is give him your left as fast and hard as you can, because his defense is very weak. But don't forget he's a brawler, so, to God, knock him out at the first possibility."

"Yes, coach." Ryan watched as his coach bound the gloves tight. "You think I can win?"

"I'm sure you can. And knock him out real good. He's a big time annoyance. Thinks that he can do anything because his daddy is something huge in the army."

Ryan grinned, "His daddy is a recruiter, nothing more."

"And from the way he talks, you could think his daddy is the President's personal bodyguard." The coach had finished with the gloves and looked now over to Darren. "He's ready. Remember what I always tell you, watch your defense, and for the rest, give him hell."

"Will do, Coach!"

Ryan got up and climbed into the ring. Normally, he felt excited before a fight. After all, it was sports just as much as soccer or basketball. Normally he'd have a nice fight, preferably with Daniel, and after the fight, they would go for a coffee or ice-cream and discuss techniques. This time, it was different. This time, Ryan fought for much more than just a coffee; this time, it was his honour he wanted to regain. This guy's father had added to his humiliation, and now, he was going to pay him back by humiliating his son. Preferably with a punch to his arrogant face. He looked dead into Darren's eyes as Darren got into the ring as well.

The coach cleared his throat, "Okay, guys, I want a nice handshake now."

Darren grinned and held his gloved hands up, "You're dead meat, Wolfe."

Ryan did the same while muttering, "You'd better watch out, or you'll be down before you know it."

They bumped gloves and waited for the sound of the gong. As it came, Darren immediately lunged forward and aimed a hit at Ryan's face. Ryan was momentarily caught off balance and made a step back and thereby avoided being hit. He immediately landed a counterpunch on Darren's front. Darren didn't step back, but feigned a punch to Ryan's face again. As Ryan avoided it, Darren suddenly held his head down and landed an uppercut on Ryan's left eye. It was swollen shut in seconds. The second punch hit Ryan's lip. Only then Ryan managed to free himself from the grip. He held up his gloves in defence to catch breath, but never let Darren out of his sight. Darren was now smiling at Ryan, a look in his eyes that made clear he was convinced he'd win. Ryan ran his gloved hand over his split lip and gave Darren a look back. Now, the real fight was on. Ryan landed a quick punch on Darren's nose, but it wasn't hard enough to cause some actual damage. Darren managed to block his next punch with his left and immediately aimed at delivering a liver punch, which Ryan avoided only by an inch. But that little distraction was used by Darren, who stepped on his foot so that Ryan couldn't get away and landed a few punches right to his face. Ryan saw spots appearing in front of his eyes and for a moment thought he would go down. But then his vision cleared again, and he managed to shove Darren off his foot. _Damn it, this guy really is an unfair player…_But Ryan had noticed the weakness that his coach had pointed out earlier. Darren's defence was a mess. Ryan knew it just needed one excellent punch right to his face to knock him out. And, damn it, he would knock him out! He spit out a bit of blood and raised his hand again. Darren grinned and aimed a punch at Ryan's face again. This time, Ryan blocked it and rammed his fist as hard as he could against Darren's nose again. Darren moaned and swayed a bit. Ryan didn't wait until he recovered, but smashed his hard left on the same spot again. Now Darren went down.

The coach immediately got up and raced over to Darren. "Hey, Douglas, you're alright?" As he got no answer, he turned to Ryan. "You win. Good job."

Ryan noticed the slight grin on the coach's face. "Fine. Thanks for the fight mate, I sure enjoyed it."

He walked back to Daniel who patted him on the shoulder and started loosening Ryan's gloves, "That was amazing, Wolfeman. Guess you shut his trap once and for all."

"Hopefully." As soon as the glove was off Ryan's left hand, he raised it to his lip. It bled like hell. "But he looks way better than me, I guess. How's my eye?"

"Can't see it behind all that swelling." Daniel put the gloves away and looked at Ryan's lip, "Doesn't need stitches." He handed him a Kleenex, "It'll bleed like shit, though."

"Wouldn't have known." Ryan pressed the Kleenex to his lip. "And my eye?"

"I'll give you an ice pack, but can't do anything more. Might get red soon if a blood vessel broke, but that's nothing dangerous." Daniel was the son of a doctor and had been to some First-Aid-classes, so Ryan trusted him. "But the shiner looks great. True souvenir of the street."

"Makes me look like a real bad boy, I guess."

"Yeah, goes nice with your sweater vests." Daniel joked. "I'll go and get you that ice pack."

"Thanks, mate." Ryan sat down on the bench, getting himself a new Kleenex in the process. He watched as the coach helped Darren to get back on his feet. Apparently, that last punch had been more powerful then Ryan had guessed.

Darren, trying hard not to sway, looked at Ryan and yelled, "That's not the end, Wolfe. I'll get back to ya."

Ryan grinned, which sent a shot of pain through his split lip. But he didn't care, "Yeah, do so. Can't wait to mess your pretty face up again." As Darren just gave him the finger, he knew he had hurt the guy's ego more than he had hurt his face. But he didn't care. At least for once, he was the winner.

* * *

The feeling of victory didn't last for too long. Ryan had barely opened the front door at home when he heard his father screaming, "RYAN!"

* * *

**I hear trouble knocking on Ryan's door. You too? ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone. Yeah I'm back with this story too. As I mentioned, it's kinda hard to think of enough way to break somebody without hurting him too much. But well, I love a challenge. ^^ I have the story all plotted out, so I might be able to update more frequently now. **

Disclaimer: See chapters before.

Thanks: Dragonfriend95 for BETAing. Working with you is so great.

* * *

**Chapter 4 **

**

* * *

**No pain is forever – Hard (Rihanna)

* * *

Ryan almost ran out the door again when he heard his father screaming. So far, it had never meant anything good when his father screamed. Duke Wolfe was a man used to hiding his emotions. He never showed any feelings, his face was a stony mask most of the time. If Duke screamed now, it meant he had lost his temper. And that was never a good sign. Ryan's hand almost reached for the door knob again. He could still pretend he had never been here, and would come back later today, when his father had hopefully calmed down again. But then he shook his head. It would make things worse, to run away now.

So he took a deep breath and answered, "I'm here."

"Come to my office immediately!"

Ryan walked up the stairs. The office door was open already, so Ryan let himself in. There, he waited, his head lowered, until his father addressed him.

It came faster than he thought, "Ryan, I just got a call."

Ryan didn't raise his head, "About me, Sir?"

"About you alright. Darren Douglas' mother called…."

Ryan knew it was probably the worst thing he could do, but he had to chuckle, "Did his mommy complain that I roughed him up?" He hadn't even uttered the sentence completely when he felt the urge to slap himself; how could he dare answer his father like this?

But he got something he didn't expect. His father chuckled too, "Kind of. She asked me to pay the hospital bill." But then every sense of humour was gone from his father's voice again, "Can you tell me what the heck got into your mind?"

Now, Ryan raised his head, "He provoked me. He was the one who suggested the fight. I just… well, I beat him."

Duke didn't answer for a few seconds, but only scanned his son's face. "What did he say that provoked you?"

Ryan murmured, "His dad told him what happened here yesterday. He used that against me, in front of everyone. I lost it and accepted to fight him. And I won."

Duke still let his eyes wander over Ryan's face. "You seriously won?"

"Yes, Sir."

"You don't look like a winner, though."

"I know. He hit me more often, but I knocked him out." Ryan hesitated to ask the next question, "Am I in trouble?"

Duke didn't answer immediately. He couldn't hide the fact that he was impressed by his son. The kid had taken matters into his own hands and surely earned some respect in the progress. But then of course he had beaten up a friend's son, and that had to be punished. But how? Duke wasn't short of cruel punishments. His own father had had enough ideas to break the strongest men, and Duke had many memories he'd rather not think of. He ran his fingers over his head and asked, "Do you think you're in trouble?"

Ryan shrugged, "I don't know. You always told me a real man has to act if somebody disrespects him. I think I did that. But then again, I probably shouldn't have done it to your friend's son, so… yeah, I guess I am in trouble."

Duke managed not to smile; Ryan had thoughts similar to his own. Well, if the boy thought he was in trouble, then Duke might as well give him trouble. "You are. Go back to your room. 'I'll think of something."

Ryan nodded his head and left the room. He first walked over to the bathroom and checked his face in the mirror. Yeah, he didn't really look like the winner. His eye was swollen shut and of a dark blue; the cut on his lip had stopped bleeding, but it would take its time to heal. It didn't stop him from grinning nevertheless. So, Darren's mother had called his father to bitch about her precious son getting his ass kicked. Well, that was surely something he could use against that prick, and it was something that could definitely take him through whatever his father would do to him tonight. Even the old man had chuckled. Probably only because it showed that Duke had his son way more under control than Douglas, but it was at least something. He sighed; it wouldn't protect him from pain tonight, pain he would probably feel throughout the next week. But it was worth it, Ryan thought. If only because he had paid Douglas Jr. back for what the old one had done to him yesterday.

* * *

The rest of the day went without any sign from his father. Ryan had stayed in his room, done his homework, done some cleaning, tried again to iron the god damn suit, and then lay on his bed. He was so tired he barely managed to stay awake for dinner. He woke up from his snooze only minutes before he was due at the table. When he sat down, he noticed his father looking at him, checking him out. It made him nervous, but he managed to not spill anything.

Duke, after a few more minutes of eyeing his son, finally said, "Ryan, I have thought of something. You will pay the hospital bill."

Ryan frowned, "Sir, I would happily do that, but I don't have any money…"

"I know that. This is why you will work for Mr Douglas in the summer holidays. You'll work at the base and stay there for about a month, night and day. I think that living with the new recruits will teach you a lot. Plus, since you will sign up yourself pretty soon, it will show you how life is there, and you won't be so surprised when you start being a recruit yourself. The money you earn there will be used to pay the hospital bill."

Ryan froze with the fork on mid way to his mouth. _Did I just really hear what I think I heard? Did he really say…? _"I have to work for Douglas?"

"It's Mr. Douglas to you. And yes, you have to. And I hope you will do your best at pleasing him. If I hear that you are misbehaving…" He left the threat unspoken, but Ryan knew very well what would happen to him if he misbehaved.

Ryan let the fork sink, "May I go to my room, please?"

As Duke only nodded, he got up. When he was out of the dining room, he raced to the bathroom and threw up. He vomited until everything he had eaten today was out. Then he leaned against the heater next to the toilet, shaking and sweating. _This can't be true. This can't be happening. _Douglas would give him hell for messing with his son. He would… _Oh God, I cannot even think about it… _He felt nausea coming back. _I gotta run away. _But he knew that was nonsense. He would never run away, no matter how scared he was. Staying at the base for a whole month, with no one to turn to… _Not that I'd have somebody to turn to if I could actually spend my nights here. _Who knew what Douglas would make him do? He had no idea, but he was sure it would not be a pleasant experience. He had already noticed yesterday that Douglas was way more ruthless than his father, and probably had enjoyed his humiliation more than Ryan could ever imagine. What would happen to him if he was under Douglas' supervision... _control_… 24/7? For a whole month? Thirty days of… He bowed over the toilet again, but nothing came except for bile. He waited until his stomach calmed down again, until the dizziness went away. Then he reached out for the toilet cleaner and started cleaning the toilet. He scrubbed the cool white surface, ridding it of any trace of what he'd just done, the weakness he had just shown. He scrubbed it until his fingers were bleeding. Then he scrubbed a little more. He had to clean the toilet. Nobody could ever find out that his stomach revolted at the sheer thought of having to go work for Douglas.

The strong toilet cleaner burned on his now delicate skin, but he continued nevertheless. He was so ashamed that he had actually done this. If his father found out that he had actually thrown up out of fear, he would punish him, right here, right now. He hated it if Ryan showed a weakness. And Ryan hated himself for showing it. The traces of it had to go away. He ignored the pain in his hands, knees and back. _If he finds out, I'd wish for this pain to come back instead of the pain I'll be suffering then…_ He also ignored the sweat running over his body, drenching his shirt and shorts. It had to go away. The smell had to go away. _It's not going away. I can still see it. Oh lord, how much do I have to clean it? _He knew it was all in his head. He knew his OCD was playing tricks on him. The toilet was so clean you could have cooked in it. It was like when he left the house, when he new the door was locked, and still had to check on it many times. His mind knew everything was alright, but still, he had to check. Like now. He knew the toilet was clean, but there still was a chance there were some hidden spots he hadn't cleaned away.

Only an hour later he sank down next to the toilet, finally convinced that nobody would ever find out what had happened here. He was shaking from exhaustion as he walked over to the shower, turning the water on. A cold shower would do him good. He was calmer now. A bit at least. That OCD moment had distracted his mind so much from the fear that he now only felt a little twinge of it when he thought of the month that lay ahead of him. He felt silly for being such a chicken. This was his father's friend. And it had obviously been his father's idea. And his father would never hurt him on purpose, or send him somewhere he could get hurt, right?

* * *

**Right? It remains to be seen. If you have liked this, please do review. I love reviews. Who doesn't? ^^**


	5. Chapter 5

And another chapter to this story. I am terribly sorry for the long wait. Both my beta's were busy or technically challenged (Laptops. A curse.) And since I want this story to be purrfect, I really didn't want to put up a chapter that hasn't been proofread. Anyways, here you go. Have fun and review.

**Disclaimer: See chapters before. I don't own G4L either. It's Rihanna's.**

**Thanks: Emily Blake. She read this one for me. Thanks a lot, I know how busy you are, so I appreciate the time you took to do this for me. You're amazing!**

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**Chapter Five **

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**_How it feel down there on your knees? Rihanna – G4L_

_

* * *

_The next morning, Ryan was feeling better. When he entered class, Daniel was already waiting for him, grinning, "Hey, guys, make way for the Wolfeman! Ryan Wolfe, the fist of doom!"

Ryan rolled his eyes and sat down next to him. "Will you stop this? This is embarrassing!"

"Oh, come on, enjoy it! The whole school knows what you did to that jerk. They're even thinking of building a monument in your honour!"

"Daniel, if you don't stop this, Darren will take it out on me next time we fight!" Ryan put his books on the table. "Have you seen him today? Him or Vince?"

"Not yet. They're prolly waiting for you at the entrance door to school to kick your ass," Daniel joked. "By the way, you look really dashing with that eye. I told you it would go just fine with the sweater vest."

Ryan gave Daniel a look. "Did you sleep next to a clown tonight or something? That's not really funny."

Daniel sighed, "And you slept next to a lemon, I guess. But don't worry. I guess Vince and Darren will keep away from Ryan Wolfe, Fist of Doom, for the next few days."

"Hopefully."

* * *

After school, Ryan and Daniel walked toward the nearest bus station. Daniel was pale. "I can't believe it. How could I forget the chemistry exam?"

"Prolly because you were much too occupied with being my boxing manager. But don't worry; if you have paid attention in class," Ryan said.

But Daniel interrupted him. "This is chemistry. I hate chemistry. It sounds all the same to me. I so failed that exam."

Ryan tried to comfort him. "Don't worry. There'll be another one next week. Don't worry, I'll help you. We'll study together."

"Thanks, man. I owe you one."

"Yeah, you can try to teach me Spanish in the next few hours for the test tomorrow."

Daniel had apparently heard of that test. "Yah, sure." He wanted to add something, but was distracted by some faint screams from around the nearest corner. "Did you hear that?"

Ryan nodded. "Sounded like a cat." But then the screams became louder. "Okay, forget that. Sounds like… a child or something?"

Daniel checked his watch. "We have about four minutes till our bus comes. Should we check it out?"

Ryan nodded. "We have to. Imagine what could happen if we don't…"

"True. You go first."

"Coward." But Ryan nevertheless approached the corner from where the screams came from. As he glanced around it, he frowned. Vince, Darren and the gang were actually beating up a kid. A girl. She was lying on the ground, shielding her face from the kicks.

Ryan turned away and motioned for Daniel to come. When Daniel was close enough, Ryan said, "Run to the nearest house, tell them to call police. Darren, Vince and the others are beating up a girl."

"A girl? Those bastards! Come on, we gotta go in between!"

Ryan shook his head. "We're two. They're six. We can't do anything. Go, call the police. And an ambulance, maybe."

"And you?"

"I'm going in-between."

Daniel hesitated. "That's almost suicidal."

"I know. But there's a girl in danger. And I won't let that happen. Now go!"

Daniel shrugged. "Okay. I'll call the police and tell them have a trauma team available at the entrance of E.R. Just in case."

"You do that. And fast!" When Daniel ran off, Ryan took a deep breath, preparing mentally for the pain. He closed his eyes and walked around the corner. Then he opened them again. "Hey, guys."

Vince turned around. "Wolfe. Okay, man, save yourself some trouble, turn around, and leave."

"Ah, sorry, but that won't be possible. Leave the girl alone."

Vince came slowly towards him. "Wolfe. I repeat one last time. Go."

"I won't, Vince. Now, I don't care what you do to me now, but you're not gonna hurt a girl. Daniel is calling the police. You'd better run off while you still can."

Vince was speechless, but Darren had come closer now too. "You called the police?" As Ryan nodded, he said, "Wolfe, you do realize this is gonna get me a record?"

"You should have thought of that before…"

He hadn't ended the sentence when a punch right to his face knocked him down. He had been surprised; otherwise he'd probably managed to avoid being hit. But now, he was lying on the dirty ground, helpless. He saw the guys forming a circle around him. _Hopefully Daniel found a phone somewhere close…_

Darren bent down to him. "Oh Wolfe, I didn't think you were that stupid! But at least now I can have my revenge for that humiliation yesterday…" He gave him a kick to the ribs. "You know how upset my mom was when she saw me?" Another kick. "You know how angry my father was when he heard I lost to you?" Another kick. "I will pay you back, Wolfe…"

Ryan bit his lip at every kick. He was an idiot for going in between, but hell, he couldn't leave the girl all to herself! At least now they left her alone. _Daniel, please, hurry up! _And then he heard it. Sirens. Police sirens.

Darren raised his head. "The cops. Let's go." He delivered a final kick to Ryan's side. "This isn't over, Wolfe. You better shut up when the cops ask you, or you'll regret it…" Another kick to his side, then the guys ran away. Vince stopped for a moment next to the girl, whispering something.

Ryan moaned as he tried to get into an upright position. He then limped over to the girl and knelt down next to her. She wasn't as young as he had expected. Maybe around 13, 14. He realized what these bastards had tried to do when he saw that her skirt had been forced down to her ankles. _Fuck you, Darren. I should have knocked you out harder… _"Hey, girl, you okay?"

She flinched under his touch as he tried to help her up. She shied away from him, putting some distance between the two. Then she said, "Yes… I… I'm fine… yes…" She brought her skirt back up and wiped away the blood from her face. Ryan offered her a handkerchief, which she accepted. Then she said, "Thank you for helping me."

Ryan smiled shyly. "Don't worry. They won't hurt you again. I heard sirens. Police will be here any second…"

"Police? No. No, they know my name, they will…" She jumped up. "Please, no police. He told me he will… I… I need to go…" She got up. "Thanks again, but I can't stay here. Bye." She ran off, limping, but fast enough so that Ryan couldn't follow her with his ribs aching like that. She was gone when the cops drove around the corner.

Daniel jumped out of the car even before it came to a halt. "Ryan? Jesus Christ, are you alright?" He knelt down next to him. "How many fingers? Where's the girl, and where are the others?"

Ryan groaned. "I'm okay, Daniel." He tried to get up, but it proved rather difficult.

Daniel shook his head. "Man, I tell you, you're not. Try to cough for me."

"Daniel, please." Ryan tried again, and finally managed to stand on his own two feet.

"Son, we should bring you to hospital." one of the cops said. "This looks like a broken rib to me."

Ryan shook his head. "Thanks, but that won't be necessary. It's not broken."

The cop sighed. "Okay, if you say so… What's your name, son?"

"Ryan Wolfe, Sir."

"I'm Officer Roberts; this is my partner Officer Channing. Will you tell us what happened? Mister Rosenberg here was a bit… in a hurry to get us here." He smiled at Daniel.

"We heard some screaming here when we walked to the bus station," Ryan said. "We checked, and there was a bunch of guys beating up a girl. I think they maybe wanted to… you know." He was reluctant to say the word. "They had torn her blouse, and stripped her skirt off."

Officer Roberts nodded. "I see. Where's the girl?"

Ryan lowered his head. "She ran away when she heard you cops were coming. I think one of the guys might have told her what would happen if she told you. She said they know her name and told her they would… well, she didn't say what they would…"

"Do you know her name?"

Ryan shook his head. "But I know two of the guys who did it. Vincent McCormick and Darren Douglas. And I think I can describe the others."

"Good to know. So, we'd like you to come to the police station to give a statement. We'll call your parents so they know you're alright."

Daniel didn't say anything, but Ryan shook his head. "That's really not necessary. They're both working, they won't notice."

"We can call them at work if you'd like."

"No, really, my mom is gonna freak out and worry about me. I'll just go home after that and everything will be good. Really, there's no need to call them." _My dad is gonna freak out, too. Can't have the cops calling…_

Roberts nodded. "Okay, if you say so. Please get into the car."

* * *

Ryan gave his statement an hour later. He basically repeated what he had told them earlier, added a description of the girl and the other guys, and told them where they had beaten him.

Roberts took it down and then asked, "Do you wanna report them for the assault on you?"

Ryan shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, it wasn't that bad, really."

"Really? I mean, it's up to you, but I'd recommend it. You know, it might teach them a lesson."

Ryan thought about it, then said, "Yeah, okay."

Roberts seemed pleased. "Good, then we're gonna take that down and then you go the room at the other end of the floor, where we'll take pictures of the bruises." He took a closer look at Ryan. "That blackened eye there, is that from today too?"

"No, that's from my boxing match yesterday."

"Okay, good. You can tell the photographer all they did to you today." He put the pen down. "I just want to add something. Between us, what you did today was very brave. You and Daniel did a good job there. It was all very thought through. And going in between when a bunch of guys hits somebody while being all alone is a brave thing to do."

But Ryan shook his head. "I couldn't possibly turn away and wait for you. I didn't know when Daniel would find a phone, so… Well, I guess it's a natural thing to do."

"I wouldn't say that. Many would have turned away. You didn't. And I want to thank you. In the girl's name too, I guess." Roberts got up. "I wish there was a way to find the girl. Although the description you gave us is pretty good. I'll see you around. Are you sure you don't want us to drive you home?"

"It's okay, really."

"Alright. Take care, Ryan."

"Will do."

* * *

**He is such a hero! Anybody like to do a fanvideo to Bonnie Tyler's _Hero_? There's one for Flack on utube, and it's great. Ryan deserves one too. Anyways. What will happen now? I am dead sure Darren and Vince won't be too happy... What'cha think? I'd love to hear your guesses ^_^**

**BTW, I published the link to my twitter account on me profile. If any of you want to add me (for updating on Fanfictin reasons), you can find it there. And there's a link to a thing called formspring, where u can ask me questions about me or my work. It works anonymously, too, you don't have to sign in (I think). So, many ways to contact me, or send your guesses. :D  
**


	6. Chapter 6

And I'm back with another chapter of this story. Luckily my beta has some nice friends. I hope you get well soon, my dear. Thanks so much for everything you do for me. You're amazing.

**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI Miami, Ryan Wolfe, jewish or Bang Bang. I own Daniel, the family and the gang. **

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**Chapter 6**

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**_I hit the ground , bang bang  
That awful sound, bang bang_ (Nancy Sinatra – Bang Bang)

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The next morning, Ryan breathed out when he left house for school. He had managed to live through yesterday evening and breakfast this morning without anybody noticing the pain he was in. By now breathing, coughing and laughing all hurt like hell. He knew the rib wasn't broken; he had checked it. But that didn't mean it was all completely painless. Luckily, neither his mother nor his father had noticed. He checked for the third time if the door was locked, then started walking to the bus station. Luckily he had boxing training today. Okay, it wouldn't be much fun, with his ribs aching, but it was better than to be at home the whole day. It was his father's day off, and the more time Ryan spent at home, the more he could do wrong and make his father angry. He had to smile a bit. Now, did that sound like one happy family or not? A son who feared to stay at home and rather increase his pain in a boxing game?

He was so completely in his thoughts that he didn't notice somebody standing in his way and consequently bumped into him. When he raised his head, he had to suppress a moan, "Vince. You don't live around here, so, what are you doing here?"

Vince leaned against the wall, "Well, to be honest, Wolfe, I want to talk to you. No, that might be wrong. I want you to go to the police today and take your statement back."

Ryan grinned, "Yeah, right. As if I'm gonna do that. You guys can be happy that you scared the girl so much, or else you would be facing much bigger charges."

"Wolfe, I don't think you understand the situation." Vince came closer. "The police were at my place yesterday. And not only at my place, but I know they also visited Darren. I want you to go to the police and tell them you imagined the whole thing. If not…" He left the threat unspoken.

But Ryan shook his head, "You should've thought of that before. I won't do any of that. You can't scare me. You had it coming."

"That your last word, Wolfe?"

"My last word."

Now, Vince started grinning, "You might wanna think of some new last words soon, Wolfe…" He clicked his fingers, and suddenly, there were more of them. Ryan recognized the guys. They were the same as the day before. And Darren Douglas. "Now, Wolfe, I'll give you one last chance. Go to the police, change your statement, and we let you live. If you don't, you'll wish you'd never been born."

Ryan felt his guts churn. Six against One. He could never win that one. He could be happy if he got out of this without too many broken bones. The choice Vince had given him was easy enough, but Ryan wouldn't accept. He hadn't spent the last few years trying to get rid of these bullies just to cave in because they threatened him. So he swallowed, raised his head which he had lowered during the process of thinking and said, "Then you might wanna hurry up, or else you'll be late for school. And I'd hate it for you to miss something that could actually brighten your small mind."

Vince laughed, "You amuse me."

Two of the gang marched towards Ryan. He tried to defend himself and managed to actually shove one away before he could touch him. But the other one got close enough and smashed him hard against the wall. Ryan moaned as his ribs protested against the rough treatment. That moment of pain was enough for Vince's men to grab both of his arms and lock them behind his back. A kick to his ribs made him double over, but they dragged him back up.

Vince had in the meantime taken off his jacket and pulled the sleeves of his shirt up, "Now, Wolfe, since I am a nice person, I'll ask you again, now that you've got a bit of a taste of what's to come. Will you do as I ask?"

Ryan breathed in and raised his head so that he looked right into Vince's eyes, "Go to hell."

"Wrong answer." Vince slapped him. "You can stop this at any moment, Wolfe, just so you know." _Slap_. "You know, during these last few years, you haven't been much fun." _Slap_. "But this is gonna be so much more amusing than I could've possibly had in these last years." _Slap_. "Any new decisions you've taken lately?"

Ryan shook his head, "You gotta give a bit more if you really mean this."

Vince looked down at his feet, "A shame, Wolfe, really. I really hate to mess up your… how do you guys call it? _Shana punim_ (1), right? Although… It looks kinda messed up already, so I guess it won't make much of a difference." His hand made a fist. "Maybe I can at least make it symmetrical again." With that, he landed a hard punch on Ryan's uninjured eye. "See, that's way better." he said when Ryan's second eye started swelling. "Although, that was stupid. Such things lose so much of their appeal when a victim can't see it coming. But oh well, damage is done." His second punch landed on the exact same spot. "Got anything to say?"

Ryan tried to ignore the throbbing in his eyes and cheek, "Thank you. At least now I don't have to look at your _mieseh punim (1)…." __Yeah, that's probably the right thing to do, Ryan. Just provoke him more. _

"You think I have an ugly face? Well, believe me; your own mom will not recognize yours tonight."

The next punch was harder than the ones before. Ryan felt blood flowing from his nose. It bothered him that he couldn't wipe it away. It would stain his shirt. He'd never get rid of these stains again. Vince's next punch hit his stomach. He would have doubled over, but the guys that held his arms kept him up. He couldn't even bow down to shield himself as Vince landed the next few punches in his lower stomach and ribs. He bit his lip, trying to at least mentally be prepared for the pain.

Vince grabbed his neck, "Any news?"

"Go to hell." Ryan's voice was as steady as in the beginning.

"Shame." Vince brought his knee up and rammed it into Ryan's ribcage. Once, twice, thrice… "Now?" As he got no answer, he delivered a few more kicks. Ryan did his best not to scream. "This will only get worse. You can stop it. Just say you will do what I ask."

"I won't." Ryan said through clenched teeth. "And you cannot beat me up enough to change that."

"We'll see about that. Bring him down."

The guy to the left of Ryan kicked him in the ribs so hard that he went down. They let him fall this time. He hit the ground hard. Vince knelt down next to him and laid a hand on his throat. He squeezed it. "Ryan, I really don't wanna do this… It's just that I have to cover my ass."

Ryan suddenly found breathing so much harder. _Come on, he's not gonna kill me, right? Well, he tried to rape a girl…_ He clenched his fist. _I'm so not gonna let him…_ And in one swift movement, with the last of his remaining strength, he brought it up and hammered it onto Vince's nose. He felt it breaking.

Vince jumped up and howled in pain. "You little bastard! Oh, you will pay for this." He turned away, "Trash him."

The other four formed a circle around him while Darren took a closer look at Vince's nose. Ryan glanced one last time at Vince, savouring the image, and then closed his eyes when the gang started kicking him.

* * *

When Ryan woke up again, they were gone. It took him awhile to focus again. But when he was focused, he felt the pain rushing through his entire body. He moaned and tried to get up. His whole body was in pain. Excruciating pain. The ground underneath his head had been was blood stained. He brought a hand up to his face and felt dried blood under his nose, over his eye and on his lips. That simple movement sent a wave of pain through his arm. He balanced himself into a sitting position and looked down at himself. His shirt was a goner: blood smeared, torn, and dirty from the ground. He moaned again. Good lord, how was he to explain that at home? Well, he didn't have to. He would skip school today and ask Daniel to write a note. The guy was great at forging signatures. Nobody would notice. And since both his parents were working, he could get himself cleaned up and pretend the second black eye had also happened during a boxing match. He just had to get up before either of the two, or worse, his sister, came home. _Come on, Ryan, get up. On your feet. Ignore the pain. At home, you'll take a pill and the pain will be gone. It's not far. Come on, get up. _He bit his lip as the pain rushed to his every limb when he tried to get up. But he managed. Limping, he made his way home. He opened the door with trembling fingers, closed it behind himself and sank down again. _Christ, this hurts._ He breathed in, breathed out, then got up again steadying himself on the door. He would go to the bathroom, clean himself up, discard the shirt and pretend to his mother he had hit a door or something. Everything would be okay…

Just when he had made his way up to the bathroom, the door to his father's office opened. Ryan stopped dead in his tracks. _Shit, I forgot. It's his day off. _

Duke looked at him, "What are you doing here, shouldn't you be at school?"

Ryan moved out of the shadow cast by the huge cupboard in the hall so that his father could see him. "I had a little… problem outside…"

Duke came closer and took another look at Ryan's injuries. "How did that happen?"

Ryan told him the whole story. "And now he wants me to tell the police he didn't do a thing. That's why he beat me up."

"I see. Go back to school."

"What?" Ryan exclaimed, trying to hide the pain it caused him to just stand. "I can't go to school like this. Look at me…"

"So what, you have two black eyes and a swollen nose. That's nothing. Go back to school." Ryan shook his head. That proved to be a mistake. "You're shaking your head at me?" Duke grabbed him by the arm and dragged him down the stairs. There he opened the front door and shoved Ryan out. "Go to school!" He slammed the door shut.

Ryan hammered against it, flinching every time when his ribs protested, "Please, can I just clean myself up?"

"You can do that at school."

"But people in the bus will look!"

"That's your problem. Now go, before I drag you there!"

Ryan heard steps moving away from the door. He sank down against it. This had to be a bad joke. He couldn't go to school like this. He had no idea what he looked like but judging from the blood that had accumulated under him when he had been unconscious, he guessed his face looked like a pummelled beetroot. His father couldn't seriously… _He could. He does. He will drag you to school if you don't go now. And you don't want the other kids at school to see that…_ He got up from his knees again and made his way to the bus stop.

* * *

After school, when he got home, he immediately locked himself up in the bathroom. Gosh, that certainly had been one of the worst days of his life. He had managed to clean himself up in the school toilet, luckily, before anybody had seen him. Well, at least his face. The stains on the shirt he couldn't clean. And of course, the black eyes and the swollen nose were hard to hide. Every single person on the bus had looked at him; some had even asked if he was alright. He had nodded, shrugged them off, but he had hated the looks of pity. And the teachers were even worse. Every single one of them had taken him aside after lesson, had asked him if this had happened at school, and if they could help him in any way. Ryan had only shaken his head and turned his back on them. He had only confided in Daniel, who would have attacked Vince with battery acid if Ryan hadn't stopped him. Well, at least he had threatened to do that. But then again Daniel couldn't tell Battery Acid from regular tap water. Ryan had stopped him anyways; no need to provoke these guys any further. Even if he hated their snarky comments on how red really was his colour. Now, he stood in front of the mirror, looking at his face. Or, at least, he tried to.

Before he could take a closer look to check if his nose needed medical attention (although Daniel had calmed him enough to convince him that it was not broken), his father knocked on the door. "Ryan, get out of there."

Ryan sighed with annoyance, "I'm actually cleaning myself up, can you give me a minute?"

"Get out, now. I'll see you outside in ten seconds."

"Why?"

"Because I said so. I have a special workout for you."

"What?"

The voice became more menacing, "Did I tell you to ask questions? Get outside."

Ryan, who did feel a bit too safe behind the bathroom door, said, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I was beaten silly today, and punched around yesterday. I cannot possibly do a workout today."

"You can, and you will. Now, get out!"

Ryan was close to telling him he couldn't make him get out, but then again… _The faster I start, the faster I'm done with it_… He opened the door and under his father's cold gaze, walked downstairs and to the backyard. Duke followed him slowly, menacingly. Ryan didn't know what his father had planned for him, but he knew not to expect any pity.

* * *

It was already dark outside when he fell down on his bed. His body was shaking from exhaustion, his ribs aching like they were on fire. His father had made him run a few miles, then he had to do sit ups and push ups. Normally, this work out would've been exhausting, but easy enough. They had done it before; he had always been tired after it. But with his body being in the shape it was, it had been pure torture. He was sure he had screamed out in pain a few times. But his father hadn't cared. He had screamed at him to go on. Like that guy in the Richard Gere movie. Or any other drill sergeant in any other army movie. He breathed in, shallowly, because his ribs wouldn't let him take deep breaths. As he was lying on his bed, facing the ceiling, he wondered why his father had done this. Duke was hard, yes, but normally not that much. There had even been days, when Ryan had been injured at boxing, or Karate, where Duke had even allowed him to go to bed earlier. But today? What had gotten in his father's mind? The answer to that was anyone's guess.

Ryan suspected it had to do with the fact that he had misbehaved this morning when he had shaken his head at his father's order. Or maybe because he had wanted to stay at home after having had the shit kicked out of him, and thereby showing weakness. _That's probably it. _He again thanked God that his father hadn't seen him puking his guts out over the thing with Douglas. He knew his father only meant well, but… from time to time… _is that really a good thing? What he does?_ He swallowed. Who cares? The only thing Ryan had to do was to make his dad proud of him. And he would. Next time, and he was sure there would be a next time, when those bullies would try to hurt him, he would fight back, as hard as he could, and if things went down, he wouldn't complain. He would show his father that he had learned something from today's lesson. That he would never ever again show a weakness like he had today. Next time somebody hit him, he would take a licking and keep on ticking, not showing any pain, not letting anybody know he was hurting. Maybe then Duke would finally appreciate it. Maybe he would even say '_That was really good, Ryan. I'm really proud of you_'. And that was the only thing Ryan wanted to hear.

* * *

**(1)Shana punim is Jewish for pretty face. Mieseh punim is Jewish for ugly face. Or at least the world's most famous search engine says that. I apologize to any Jewish guys and ladies if I used it in a completely wrong context.  
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**So, our boy has been trashed by the gang. Is that the end, or will they come back? Will something good happen to Ryan soon? Or something really bad? Mh.**


	7. Chapter 7

And a new chapter. Guys, I do wanna say thank you for reviews and the like. And to DF95 for betaing. Glad to hear u feel better. Thanks a lot!

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own CSI, or Ryan, or Lady in Black, or Ferrari. **

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**Chapter 7**

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But when ****you need me be assured **

**I won't be far****away (Uriah Heep – Lady in Black)**

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The next day in school was hellish. Ryan felt every single muscle, hell, every single _thing_ in his body. At one point, he was so desperate he asked Daniel to do a quick check-up on him. While Daniel wasn't a doctor, he had confirmed Ryan's suspicion. A few badly bruised ribs, but no broken bones. Although it didn't lessen the pain, it did calm Ryan down.

When he arrived home later that day, he noticed the bright red Ferrari in front of the house. A very dubious figure sat at the wheel. Well, sitting… the seat was leaned backwards. The figure apparently was having a nap. Ryan couldn't see his face; it was covered by a hat. The man's feet were resting on the dashboard. He was wearing jeans that had seen better days, heavy army boots, and a black button down shirt. Ryan frowned; what was this man doing there, in front of their home? He didn't look like any of his father's friends. And if that guy was here for his father, why would he sleep in a car? His father and mother were both at work, and his father would never forget an appointment at home.

Now, the figure yawned and started moving. Without taking the hat off his face, he moved a hand towards the radio and switched it on. Ryan recognized the song immediately. _When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be… _(1) The man in the car now yawned again, stretched himself and took the hat off. He wiped the sleep out of his eyes and looked around. His eyes met Ryan's.

Ryan had never seen anyone move so swiftly. The guy got out of the car, leaving the door wide open, and raced towards him. As he reached him, he put both his hands on Ryan's shoulders and hissed, "Who did this to you? Was that him? I swear, I'm gonna break every fucking bone in his body!"

Ryan, despite all the pain, smiled, "Uncle Ron… No, that was not him, don't worry."

"Who did this to you?"

Ryan hesitated, but then told Ron the whole story, omitting only the work out his father had forced him through. "And to convince me to do what they want, they trashed me."

But Ron saw through it, "And then your father thrashed you some more?"

"No Ron, really, that wasn't him… What are you doing here, anyways?"

Ron gave him a very reproachful look, "You haven't called lately. You know how I worry about you if you don't call."

Ryan sighed; he had totally forgotten to call his uncle, which he normally did on a weekly basis, "Sorry, I completely forgot to. It's been a rough week."

"Has he treated you badly?"

Ryan shrugged, "No more or less than before. It's just… I have to work for a friend of his during the summer holidays. Which means, next week. For a whole month. I even have to sleep on the base. And to be honest, I'm scared shitless." He knew he could talk about his fears with Ron. He was so different from his brother, sometimes Ryan wondered if they were even remotely related.

Ron shook his head, "I can imagine. But, don't worry. I actually took a month of from… business. So I'll be here if anything happens." Now he smiled, "Good Lord, you've become so tall! What's it been, a year? You're becoming a real man, Ryan. How old are you again? Nah, don't answer, I know it."

Ryan grinned; of course Ron didn't know. He knew what day to send his wishes; everything else was unimportant to him. "You look good too, Ron. So, you're gonna stay a whole month? That is so cool!" He took his keys out of his pocket. "Let's go inside. You look like you could use a coffee…"

"Yeah. And a brandy, if your dad has any of that."

* * *

The next of the Wolfe family that arrived home was Ryan's sister. Deborah threw herself at Ron when she saw him. Ron hugged his niece and offered her a candy bar. He loved Deborah, of course, she was his niece, but Ryan was much closer to him.

And then, Duke got home from work. When he entered the kitchen where Ron, Ryan and Deborah were sitting at the table, his jaw almost dropped, "Ron?"

Ron turned around and smiled, "Duke. My beloved brother. How's life treating you these days? You look old. Army business still hard?"

Duke had regained his composure, "I cannot remember having invited you."

"Since when do I need an invitation?" Ron smirked. "We're family, right?"

"As far as I remember, you're not family anymore…"

Ryan knew what his father meant. The whole of the Wolfe family had officially broken all ties to Ron. But it needed more than that to get rid of Ron Wolfe. And besides, Ryan's mother actually loved her brother-in-law to bits, so she had encouraged contact between Ron and her children. Duke, who couldn't say no to his wife, had accepted.

Ron leaned back on his chair, "Not to you, no. But to your wonderful wife. Where is my lovely Doreen by the way?"

"At work. And it's my lovely Doreen. What are you doing here?"

Ron yawned, "I'm visiting family, my brother. I haven't heard from my nephew in a while, so I thought I'd come and check on how he's doing." At the last words, his tone had become noticeably menacing. "And I don't think he's doing good."

Duke gave Ryan a sombre look, "I don't know what he's told you…"

"Don't look at him like that or I'll gouge your eyes out." Ron said, slowly, but with enough hardness that it gave the chills to Ryan.

But Duke wasn't impressed in the least, "You know I could break your hand before you even got close enough. And what would you do on your job without a fine working hand?"

"I still have another one, Duke."

Now Duke had enough, "Office. Now."

Ron remained where he was. "I'm not a recruit. Be polite."

Duke's hand made a fist; it normally took a lot to provoke him, but his own brother knew exactly which buttons to push, "Would you kindly, if it's not too much of a hassle, join me in my office now, please?"

Ron's grin couldn't have been any wider, "That's better, brother." He got up from the chair and followed Duke.

Deborah frowned, "They're worse than us…"

"Really. But then again, we're still young."

* * *

Duke slammed the door shut, "I repeat, what are you doing here?"

Ron sat down on Duke's wing chair, "Okay, I can see you're not in the mood for coffee and cake. I came here because I haven't heard from Ryan in two weeks. I was worried you might have done something to him, so I came here to check."

"There's no need for you to be here, so go."

Ron tilted his head, "No need for me to be here… Have you seen your son? I had trouble recognizing him earlier. If it hadn't been for his clothing, I probably wouldn't have noticed it was him!"

"That was not me!"

"I know. Still, I also know that you're not gonna cut him some slack now. I'm not blind, Duke. He's pale, he's tired, he's hurting with every move." Ron placed his feet on Duke's desk. "I think you might have hurt him too."

"I didn't. And take your feet off my desk." Duke was furious. "I don't want you here. Go home. You're a disgrace to the family."

Ron got up from the chair. "I won't. Ryan told me that he has to work for a friend of yours during the summer holidays." He came closer to Duke until they were eye to eye. "I swear to God, Duke. If I hear or see that the kid is mistreated at work, I will take him with me. You won't do to him what our father did to us."

Duke didn't move an inch, "You can't do anything, Ron. I'm his father. You're nothing but an uncle. And if Ryan doesn't say he wants to live with you, you are powerless. And he won't say it." He grinned when he saw anger rise in Ron's eyes. "Besides, you know I could call the police in Miami any time. If you try to take Ryan from me, you'll be in jail faster than you think."

"And I could call child services and tell them what you do to him."

"And where's your proof? You won't find anything. No scars, no bruises. And Ryan won't talk. He was at the police two days ago. He could have talked there. He didn't. He won't talk to child services either."

Ron opened his mouth, but then he turned away from Duke. He knew his brother was right. Ryan would never talk. He would never risk losing his family. And Ron understood. He himself had thought about his decision for a long time, until he had finally taken the necessary steps to run away from home. He sat back in the chair, "Then you might wanna make sure you don't change your ways. If I notice a single bruise you have given him, you're done. Because I will talk."

"If I tell them what you do for a living, they won't believe a single word you're saying. Who would believe a safecracker anyways? And even if they do believe you, they will never let you have the kid."

"I'd rather see him growing up in a foster home than with you."

Duke rammed his fist against the nearest wardrobe, "This conversation is over. I'm done talking to you. You will leave. Today."

Ron got up again and walked to the door. "I'm sure your wife will be thrilled to see me, and offer me your guest bedroom while I'm here. And I will be here until I see that Ryan's work is over and he's alright. That, my brother, I swear. And you might wanna think twice about calling police. I do have… friends that would pay you back." He closed the door behind him, leaving his fuming brother alone.

But he devastated. Duke was right. There was no way he could take Ryan away from Duke. Not only because Duke made sure nobody would notice the abuse, but because it would kill Ryan to not be with his family anymore. After all, Ryan loved his dad. Ron could see that. And he couldn't hurt his nephew by taking him away from his family.

As he entered the kitchen Ryan was just about to clean the dishes. He raised his head, "Everything okay?"

Ron nodded, "Yeah, your father and I were just having a little family conversation. Nothing to worry about. Hey, what do you say: shall we have a ride in my fancy car? Have you got your license already?" As Ryan shook his head, Ron said, "Okay, then we're gonna need an empty parking lot. Because your youth is completely wasted if you haven't tried a Ferrari at least once."

"Isn't that kinda illegal?"

"Not if nobody notices. Come on, young man. Let's have some fun."

"I should ask my father first…"

"Nah, he would only say no. Come on. I'll take the heat later on."

* * *

(1) The Beatles – Let it be

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**Ah, Uncle Ron. Isn't he a delight? All bad ass. Btw, I have a story planned with Ron in it again, major part, so you can look forward to that. But first things first. **


	8. Chapter 8

WOW! Those were a lot of reviews for the last chapter. Thank you sooooo much! It really made my day. I'm sorry to say that, but this week I am really busy with work, so there probably won't be another chapter of this story this week. Maybe, but I won't promise anything. In the meantime, I'll load up some Mame chapters, coz that story is way further advanced. Now, enjoy this chapter. :o)

Disclaimer: I own Uncle Ron as portrayed here, but the idea of an uncle goes to the Miami Writers (who seem to have forgotten him...). I don't own anything u recognize.

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**Chapter 8 **

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**Are we not like two volumes of one book? ~Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

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Ron had a cigarette between his fingers. He was trembling; "Remind me that I will never ever ever sit with you in a moving car again."

Ryan leaned against the car, "I was just emulating your style."

"I don't drive like that!"

"Sure, you do." Ryan grinned. "But okay, I'm sorry, and next time I'm gonna drive very slowly."

"No no no no, I will never let you drive again!" Ron blinked at him. "You're gonna be the best panzer driver ever. Just remember not to drive over any other cars."

Ryan sighed deeply, "I'm sure they will beat that into me in the first lesson."

Ron, very sensitive to the change in attitude in Ryan, looked down at his nephew, "You don't want to join, do you?" He had suspected that a long time ago.

But Ryan shrugged, "Not really. But what choice do I have?"

"You have every choice in the world, Ryan. Say something, and we're on the next plane to Miami."

"You know I can't do that, Ron."

Ron nodded, "Of course I know. But here, I've got something for you." He reached into the inside pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out an envelope. "This is for you. It's money. Enough for a cab, a flight to Miami, a hotel room there in case I am away at the time of your arrival, and for food and drink. For at least two weeks. I hope you never have to touch it. But if you do…"

"Ron, I can't…."

"Of course you can. And you will." Ron insisted, "Ryan, you never know when the time comes that you'll oppose your father."

"Who says I will?"

"I do. Because I know you. You're more like me than like your dad. Thank God. Deborah's the right one to join the Army. But you…"

"You think I'm the better safecracker?"

Ron grinned, "You're a natural. I told you that when you cracked your first safe. But no, I doubt the dark side is the right place for you."

Ryan sat down on the ground next to his uncle, "If only I knew where my place was. How did you find out?"

Ron blushed, "Honestly, it was more of a… coincidence. I wanted to be rich and successful without much effort. Safecracking proved easy enough. So I decided I'd do that. With my first money I bought an expensive tux, I started frequenting the right parties… met the right women…. met their husbands and fathers… cracked their safes… Really, the American Dream in a really perverted version. But you won't become a safecracker. That's much too dangerous. I'd rather see you as a scientist. You told me you're good at chemistry."

"Yeah, I am. I'd love to do something like that. You know, be in the lab all day long, with nobody to annoy me… That would be kinda cool. But you know I can't do it…"

"Yes, you can."

"No. I mean, my dad would be disappointed. Not to mention, rather angry."

"Yeah, but you cannot do what your father wants you to all your life."

"Easy for you to say; he's not gonna beat you up."

Ron lit up another cigarette, "Do you think I've never been there? If you remember correctly, joining the Army is a family tradition. And if you have two sons, you make sure both of them sign up. And I didn't."

"Was grandpa anything like dad?"

Ron nodded, "For all I know, he was even worse than your father. I often wonder why Duke does this to you. He should know better."

"It happened to him too?"

"Yah. Both of us. As I said, my father wanted us both to sign up. So he trained us both. When I told him I wouldn't, he was furious. He would have killed me if my mom hadn't gotten in between."

"I didn't know…"

"Yeah, I guess your father never told you. And I figured you were too young for such stories. But let me tell you, I know exactly what I'm talking about when I say you have to do what _you_ want. Your father is happy with what he is, but I am, too. Had I chosen to follow in my father's footsteps, it would've killed me. Believe me, living a life you enjoy is way worth standing up to your dad. And I doubt he will be as furious as mine was." Ron swallowed a bit.

Ryan asked, cautiously, "My grandpa hurt my dad, too?"

"Yah. Both of us, really. At the beginning, it was almost the same. But when we grew older, Duke was the perfect son. He was so eager to become a soldier himself that my dad left him alone, most of the time. They even went to training together."

"And you?"

"Well, I concentrated more on the girls at that time. I was 15 and I had gotten my first chest hair... Well, anyways. So, while your dad was already more than prepared to sign up, I was trying to seduce girls, and believe me, I was way better at that than at doing push ups. So, while my father cut Duke some slack, I got the double of it. I don't think there was a single evening when he didn't punish me for something I had done. I had a hard time explaining the bruises to everybody. Because contrary to Duke, my dad wasn't the brightest. Or he simply didn't care what people thought. I often went to school looking just like you do now. And he had many methods to break us your father wouldn't dream of using on you. Thank God."

Ryan didn't say anything at first. But then he asked, "How did you survive?"

Ron shrugged, "I don't know. There were many times when I was lying in my bed… or in the cellar… when I thought I just couldn't handle it. But you know, the human body and mind can take much more than we can imagine. My dad did so many disgusting things to me and Duke, but neither of us ever broke."

"What things?"

But now, Ron shook his head, "I won't tell you. You don't need to hear that. Just remember my words: If you think you can't handle it anymore, be assured, you can. It might not feel like it, but we are stronger than we think. There will come a time in your life when you are desperate, when you think you can't go on anymore, but you will. Because we're born as fighters." He smiled, "And you might not believe it now, but at some point in your life, something your father has taught you will help you. Because in contrast to my dad, your dad knows why he's doing the things he does."

"To make me a soldier…"

"Not only, Ryan. Most of the things he does are for situations when you need to show strength. For situations you might encounter when you're a soldier already."

"Why does he like it so much, then? Why did he become a soldier, if everything you're prepared to is pain, and fear, and enemies in foreign countries?"

Ron thought about it, "I don't really know. We didn't talk that much about it. I think it was mostly the feeling of being in control that he enjoyed. Maybe also the fact that people look up to soldiers. And I think he loved our dad, and wanted to be just like him. You know, honour and everything. And he fell in love with your mother quite early, so of course he wanted a steady job."

Ryan sighed, "I understand."

Ron laid an arm around his shoulders, "You know that I will always have your back, right? You know that whenever something's off, you can call me, and I'll be here in the blink of an eye?"

"Yeah…"

"Good. Now, listen to me, Ryan: If somebody at work treats you badly, or if this guy is harassing you, or if he does so much as give you a queer look, you call me. I will come there and make sure he'll regret it. Can you promise that to me?"

Ryan shook his head, "You know I can't. If you go there and kick his ass, it will fall back on me."

"If your father..."

"Ron, really, thanks a lot, but… I'll survive it. I'm sure it won't be that bad, really." Ron gave him a look, but Ryan only answered, "I appreciate your help, but, I need to do that alone."

Ron sighed, "Okay. I don't doubt you can. Just remember that I'll be there."

"I will, and I'm glad you are."

* * *

At least Ron has Ryan's back! Isn't he the coolest uncle ever? I apologize beforehand for the now longer wait, but well... gotta earn a living :D


	9. Chapter 9

**And I am also back with this story. This chapter and the next have already been proofread by my beta, so at least the wait for the next one won't be too long. Thanks a milion, DF95.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ryan Wolfe or CSI Miami. I own the guys at the base and Ryan's family as portrayed here, except for uncle Ron. The title of this chapter belongs to Eminem and Rihanna**

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**Chapter Nine**

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**I can only tell you what it feels like  
And right now there's a steel knife in my windpipe (Eminem feat. Rihanna – Love the way you lie)

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A week later, school came to an end. It was 4 a.m. when Ryan woke up to the shrill ringing of his alarm clock. He turned it off, then immediately got up. Today would be his first day at the base. His bags were already packed, and he had checked a few times that he had everything. Including Ron's money. He just hoped they wouldn't find it. He heard some rummaging from inside his parents' bedroom when he made his way to the bathroom. His father was awake too. Ryan took his shower in a hurry. His father being awake at that time of the morning could only mean one thing. He wanted to bring Ryan to the base himself. He was probably afraid that, if Ron would do that, Ryan would either arrive way too late or Ron would kidnap him and take him somewhere safe. Either way, Duke wouldn't let that happen.

So, at 7 a.m. Duke and Ryan got out of the car in front of the base. Ryan was sick to his stomach. He would never forget Ron's look when Duke had announced he would drive Ryan over: a mixture between open hate and fear. And now, as he was standing here in front of the building that would be his home for the next month, he wasn't too sure if his legs would carry him any longer. He was so afraid…

Duke laid a hand on his shoulder, "Are you asleep, or what? Move!"

Ryan muttered a quiet sorry and followed his father to what he found out was Mr Douglas' office. The two greeted each other heartily. Then they sat down.

Douglas gave Ryan a cold look, "So, you're gonna be my assistant for the next month. You might not be a recruit yet. Nevertheless, I expect absolute obedience from you."

"He will obey." Duke's voice had a menacing tone to it. "If he doesn't, call me immediately."

"No need to, Duke. If he doesn't, I have my own way of teaching him it's better to do what I want. If you agree, of course."

"Of course, Theodore. Anything you find appropriate. I think it might even be better if he doesn't have any contact with his home. His uncle has arrived."

"The safecracker? Duke, I still don't know why you haven't reported the guy yet. A thief in the family… If he was my brother, I would not even visit him in jail!"

"I know, but my wife loves him. Says he's a loving uncle."

"Be that it as it may, guys like him are the reason this country's going down…"

"Stop talking about my uncle like that!" Ryan had uttered the words before he had even properly thought about it. They dared to disrespected his uncle? No way!

Duke and Douglas both looked at him, and then Duke said, "I think it's really about time this is happening. I hope once I get him back he'll be shaped."

Douglas got up from his chair, "Don't worry. I have broken stronger kids than him. I'll see you next month, Duke. Say hello to your wife and girl from me."

"And you to your wife and son." Then Duke turned to Ryan. "I expect you to behave. If I hear you don't, and believe me, I _will_ hear it, you'd better be prepared for the consequences. Ron won't be there to protect you anymore."

His father's words gave Ryan the chills. He didn't know whether he was just talking big because Douglas was there, or if he really meant it. He decided not to try his luck and do his best to obey Douglas.

* * *

Later that evening, after some really boring and dull work including folding uniforms, cleaning boots and reorganizing Douglas' entire office, Ryan fell down on his bed. His back ached from schlepping books and big folders around, and from being hunched over all day long. But, at least work hadn't been too humiliating. It had been dull, yeah, but Ryan preferred dull over disgusting.

He had just started to doze off when the door opened again. Some guys in uniforms entered. Ryan had seen them earlier. They were the newest generation of recruits. Ryan tensed up; it reminded him too much of the situation with Vince and Darren to really feel at ease.

But the guys only went to their own beds. One of them, the one that had the bed over Ryan's looked at him, "Hey there. You're Douglas' new assistant, right?" As Ryan nodded, he said, "Well, I hope he treats you better than us." He reached his hand out, "I'm Wallace Jackson. Nice to meet you."

Ryan shook it, "Ryan Wolfe."

"Wolfe? You're Duke Wolfe's kid?"

"Yah."

"And he lets you work for Douglas?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah. Why are you asking?"

Wallace climbed up into his bed, "Just wondering. Your father is a good man. He treats us right. Wonder why he would send his own son to Douglas."

Ryan shrugged, "Guess he thinks I need it."

"Doesn't sound like him, though. You must be proud of your dad."

Another guy shook his head, "I think it's a crying shame that your dad isn't the recruiter here. We would have a much better life. Now we're stuck with this sadistic pig." He got up from his bed, "Move over, little one." He then sat down next to Ryan, "I'm Christian Harris. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Ryan Wolfe." He wasn't too sure if he should be asking the question, but he knew that if he didn't, he wouldn't get any sleep tonight. "What do you mean? Sadistic pig?"

Harris answered, "You don't really wanna hear it. After all, you're his assistant, and not a recruit. Plus, you're under your old man's protection. Nothing to worry about for you."

"That's what you say." Ryan muttered under his breath.

Another guy from farther away suddenly said, "Tell him. If anybody had told me, I would have never signed up."

Ryan checked out the guy who had said that. He was thin, really thin, and very tall. His clean shaven head showed a few scars. "And you are?"

"Owen Crawford." He looked up, "Come on, Wallace, tell the kid. You know they tell us we gotta save lives."

"Who says he's gonna sign up anyways?"

"It runs in his family." Crawford said. "Listen guys, if you don't do it, I will."

Wallace jumped down from his own bed again and sat down on Ryan's. "Okay, Crawford, but if he wets his panties tonight, you're gonna tell the big boss it's your fault." He then leaned back, "So, you wanna know why he's a sadistic pig? I'll tell you. 'First break them, then shape them'. That's his motto. And he lives it. He had me eat dust the first day I was here. Literally. And Owen here? Douglas had some of last year's recruits cut his hair with a knife. That's where the scars come from."

Ryan swallowed, "Why?"

"Because I refused to lower my head as much as he wanted me to." Crawford said.

"And nobody helped you?"

Crawford chuckled, "No one noticed. They caught me in the shower, when I wanted to have a moment alone." He looked Ryan deep into his eyes, "I tell you, moose, you don't want to sign up. If that's why you're here, leave. You don't want to go through this. He's a bastard."

Ryan wanted to say something, but then remembered the humiliating evening when the Douglas' had come to dinner. "I got a good taste of it already."

"Really? And your dad didn't protect you?" Crawford seemed surprised.

"Not really, no." He hesitated. "Why did you guys sign up?"

Wallace was the first one to answer, "I wanted to give this country something back. My parents came here in rags about 20 years ago. Now, we own our own business." He smiled bitterly, "I still feel like I owe this country so much. But Douglas managed to make me wish I'd never signed up."

Christian nodded, "I have the same feeling. You wanna know why I signed up? I knocked my girl up accidentally. Because my parents never told me how to use a condom. They're very conservative, you know. I wasn't supposed to sleep with somebody before I got married. But then this lady blew me away. We've been dating secretly for four years. Then she got pregnant. And I decided to sign up, so that I can guarantee her and my baby girl a good life."

Ryan turned to Crawford, "How about you, Owen?"

Owen shrugged, "It's a family tradition. Everybody in the family signed up. I'm the youngest of four brothers."

Ryan was now interested, "Did they force you to sign up?"

"Not really. It was never a question. I never looked for an alternative. I mean, I guess you can relate to it. Did you ever think of doing anything else?"

"Not really, no…"

"See, that's what I mean. It's in our blood." Then he chuckled again, "If my dad knew what Douglas has done to me, he would come here and beat the crap out of him. That I can guarantee you. But hey, now that you're here, let's rough you up a bit and pretend it was Dougie's idea. Maybe your dad can help us." He punched Ryan playfully against his shoulder. As Ryan flinched, he said, "Ey, come on, man, that wasn't that hard."

He had a worried expression on his face, but Ryan calmed him down, "Don't worry. It's just that I've been roughed up already enough this week, so I'm not in a good shape."

"Sorry to hear that, moose." Crawford seemed genuinely concerned. "That wasn't Douglas, was it?"

"Not the Senior, anyway…" Ryan muttered.

"Ah, the little brat he calls his son. He's been prancing around here like he owns the building. Little jerk." Then he added, "Listen. If Douglas is somehow harassing you, come talk to us. We'll help you."

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary." Ryan said. "But I appreciate the offer."

Crawford looked at him, "Think about it before you sign up, yeah?" He then got up and walked over to his bed. Christian and Wallace did the same.

Finally, when the last one had turned the lights off, and Ryan was lying in complete darkness, he thought of what Oliver had said; so, there were other families where it was a tradition to sign up. But no one had forced him. And his father would come over to help him if he told him what happened here. Something Ryan could only dream of. Well, Ron would come. That was good. Maybe even better. His uncle had dealt with some really bad people, and he knew how to make his point clear. Ron would help. If anything happened to him. If he managed to get out a message. He shook his head. Nothing had happened so far that would suggest Douglas would really try to break him. Okay, work was more than boring, but that really couldn't be seen as sadism. He listened to the snoring of Wallace. If it continued like this the whole month, it would be bearable. If not…

* * *

**Yeah, if not? But of course, nothing will happen. Really, nothing. Really.**


	10. Chapter 10

Told ya I'm back with this story. Be warned, cause this is one of the not so happy go lucky chapters. If you don't like violence and stuff, don't read this one. But then again, if you don't like violence and stuff, you probably wouldn't read this story :D

**Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything you recognized. Not the CSI characters, not Rihanna's _Rockstar 101_**.

Now, enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 10 **

**

* * *

I never play the victim****, I'd rather be a stalker (Rihanna – Rockstar 101)**

**

* * *

**

The next week happened without any serious events. Ryan was mainly Douglas's guy for everything, from bringing the coffee to cleaning the floors. It was not exactly the most interesting thing to do, and Ryan noticed his OCD kicking in very hard at times. But he had noticed Douglas wasn't as observant as his father when it came to dust and dirt, so after a while, even the OCD had calmed down a bit.

But at the beginning of his second week, everything suddenly changed. The tone became harder, and he noticed some recruits shoving him 'accidentally' when he passed them by. Not the ones in his room, thank God. Somehow, it seemed that Chris, Wallace and Owen had started keeping an eye on him. He wasn't too sure if he just imagined it, but he noticed that one of them was always around, no matter at what time of the day. Not that it impressed Douglas in any way. Ryan had seen the man having a go at Owen. Ryan thought he had already heard a lot from his father, but it had been nothing in comparison to what poor Owen had to listen to. Ryan hadn't found out what the matter was, and why the sudden change in Douglas. Until he had talked to Christian. Christian, who was the only one who had been granted regular phone calls to home, had heard from his girlfriend that Douglas' son now officially had a record for assaulting somebody. The guys had found that rather funny; if anything, Douglas Jr. was even more despised at the base than his father. But Ryan hadn't joined in the fun. He knew at some point Darren, Vince and his crew would be charged with the assault, but he hadn't thought it would happen that fast; he had hoped nothing would happen until he was out of here. But again, it had gone wrong. Of course Ryan now understood why Douglas was suddenly so angry at him. But then again, what more could he do than convince his recruits to give Ryan a bit of a hard time by shoving him around?

He found out Wednesday the second week. It had been raining ever since the week before, and the ground outside had turned into a real swamp. Ryan hadn't seen daylight for a few days, but he had noticed the ever growing dirt from the recruits' shoes in the hallway he had to scrub. Plus, Owen, Christian and Wallace had poked fun at him by giving him their dirty uniforms to clean. It had been good natured, so Ryan didn't mind. He was actually quite happy that he had found some guys here that treated him like a human being. If everybody were like this, he wouldn't mind signing up too much. It was camaraderie Ryan had experienced only with Daniel before. Gentle fun poking, talks about naked girls, all that jazz. He had to admit he liked it. He felt accepted, even though he wasn't one of them.

But then Douglas suddenly came in the early evening, when they were having dinner, and announced a special workout. Ryan didn't react at first, but when all the recruits were gone and Douglas was still waiting, he raised his head, "Are you waiting for me?"

"Of course I'm waiting for you, Wolfe. Goddammit, you're even slower than your dad told me. Get off that chair before I make you!"

"But, Sir, I don't…"

Douglas was at his side within three or four swift steps and kicking the chair out from under him, "Did I tell you to ask questions? I said we're having a special workout, and I said you get up and join them outside!" Ryan had landed on his side, and with his ribs still mildly aching from the beating only two weeks ago, felt a sharp pain going through his body. Apparently, Douglas thought Ryan just didn't want to do what he was told, because now, he fiercely grabbed Ryan by the neck and pulled him onto his two feet. "Are you deaf, Wolfe? I said _get up and go out_!" He shoved Ryan towards the door. Ryan decided that there was nothing he could do to get out of this one. After all, it was only a workout. He could do that, he was sure; even with his wounds from the beating aching, he knew he was just in the same good shape as the others.

* * *

Two hours later and it was already dark outside. Douglas sent some of the exhausted recruits into the showers. Chris, Owen and Wallace were among them. When Ryan went to join them, Douglas yelled, "Not you, Wolfe! I cannot remember sending you back!"

Ryan stopped in his tracks. He wanted to go back, but Owen placed a hand on his shoulders and said, "Sir, I think the kid has had enough for today, Sir!"

Douglas gave Owen a look, "Crawford, you're back-talking me? Again?"

Ryan saw Owen swallow. He had already noticed on the first day that Owen hadn't yet gotten over the attack where they had cut his hair. The wounds may have healed, but the fear was all too present.

But Wallace remained standing next to Ryan, too, "Sir, really…"

"Shut up, Jackson, before I make you! And, you, Harris, don't even dare opening your mouth, or you won't get to speak to your lady friend for a month."

Christian seemed to not care, but Ryan motioned him to be quiet, "Don't. It's okay, guys, thank you, but I'm okay."

Owen muttered, "Yeah, now…"

But Wallace nodded, "Okay, kiddo. We'll be waiting for you."

The three walked off, and Ryan walked back to Douglas. He wished he could leave, though. He was soaked so much he shivered from the cold, and he was completely covered in mud. It hadn't stopped pouring during the whole work out, and Ryan was sure there wasn't a single inch of his body that wasn't wet.

But Douglas didn't show any pity. "Down, Wolfe. Down on your knees."

Ryan frowned, but knelt down nevertheless; what the heck was he planning? He found out when one of the recruits suddenly kicked him in the stomach so he had to double over. Another one of them planted his foot on Ryan's back and pressed him down so he was lying face front in the mud. He tried to get up again, but the recruit was holding him down hard. So he just tried to keep his head out of the mud.

Douglas knelt down next to his head. "So, Wolfe… My kid just got sentenced to community labour. I think we can be glad it didn't turn out worse, but still, I feel rather… yeah, angry. Have you got anything to say?"

Ryan knew the best thing would be to apologize. He really couldn't handle being beaten up again. But he hadn't caved in before the Junior, he would not ever cave in before the Senior. _Not _after having been humiliated in front of him at the dinner back when they had been over at their house. So he turned his head towards Douglas and spat out, "Yeah, You can be happy the girl your son tried to rape was too scared to come clean. Or else he might be the favourite prison bitch now."

Douglas chuckled, "And your dad said you had no back bone." He then grabbed Ryan's head and pushed it into the mud. "I can't help but feel a little respect for you. Truth be told, more than for my own son. He's a loser, really, but he is my son, and I love him, and I won't have you disrespect any of my family." He pushed Ryan's head further down, ignoring the bubbles that came up and indicated Ryan was having trouble breathing. "So I told my son I'd give you a lesson which you won't forget. And I still have two and a half weeks in front of me to make your life a living hell. Which I will do. And, if you decide to tell your father about it, I will report your uncle to the police. You made a mistake on your first day here, Wolfe. You showed how much you care about your uncle. So I can use that against you." He watched Ryan struggling to get the foot of the recruit off his back. "And believe me, I will. So, you better shut up and endure everything with a smile. And I do insist on the smile." He moved an inch closer and whispered into Ryan's ear, "And don't you ever provoke me. Don't you ever talk back to me. Don't you ever try to be smarter then me. Because each time you do any of this, I will _break _something in you. You will be _begging_ me to stop. But I will continue, until there's nothing left in you to break." He let go of Ryan's head and motioned for the recruit to lift his foot off his back.

Ryan's head jerked out of the mud as he took in deep breaths, coughing. The black lumps that had formed into his mind slowly disappeared as he finally managed to get the air back into his lungs. He tasted mud. His body was shaking from coughs. The mud dripped down from his clothes, his hair, his face, every part of his body. He coughed more, trying not to vomit as he tasted the muddy water in his mouth. God, it was disgusting.

Douglas gave him a soft kick to the side, but Ryan was currently too weak to hold up and rolled over so he was lying on his back. Douglas looked down at him, "Do you understand what I said?"

Ryan wanted nothing more than to spit in this guy's face, to keep his head up high, no matter what the consequences were. But… _If you decide to tell your father about it, I will report your uncle to the police_… Ron. He couldn't let the guy report Ron. So he bit his lip and answered, "Yes, Sir, I fully understood what you were saying."

"And?"

"And I will do whatever you want."

Douglas grinned, "Repeat to me what you're gonna do."

Ryan closed his eyes, "Sir, I'm gonna do everything you order me to. I'm not gonna tell my father about any of this. I will not talk back to you. I will not provoke you. I won't try to be smarter than you."

"Look into my eyes while you're saying it." Ryan needed all his mental strength to look up into Douglas's eyes and repeat what he had just said. "Good." He placed his foot on Ryan's chest. "I will thoroughly enjoy this. I hope you will, too." He then walked away, not without saying. "I think the kid might need a haircut. Just take care you don't make the same mess as with Crawford."

"Yes, Sir!" the answer came back in unison from the remaining six recruits.

* * *

An hour later, finally, Ryan went to take a shower. He had waited in the mud, motionless, until he could be sure he would be the only one in the group shower.

When he looked at his face in the mirror, he felt like smashing it. His face was dirty from the mud, his eyes bloodshot. Luckily, he hadn't bled too much. He had kept quiet while the others had shaved his head, and only two or three scratches had started bleeding. He took his clothes off and turned the shower on. He just stood there, watching the water wash off the mud and blood, but his mind was far away. So, he had caved in before Douglas. For Ron. It was a good reason. He didn't doubt for a second that Douglas would report Ron. How much the police would believe was anyone's guess, but Ryan didn't want to risk anything. He would just live in this hell hole for as long as he needed, do everything in his power to keep that bastard happy, and endure any humiliation he had for him. He tilted his head back and opened his mouth so he could get some clean water in it. When he spat out again, the water was brown. Ryan sighed: hopefully there was nothing too dangerous in this mud. He must have swallowed quite a lot, judging from the strange taste in his mouth. He absolutely needed to brush his teeth. When the water that ran down him was finally clean, he started using the soap. He hated to use the soap, since it was everybody's soap, but it was the only thing he had. He had decided not to go into his room and get his own stuff. He didn't want the guys to ask questions. Although, they would when they saw the scratches on his head. He used the soap until it was completely gone, and still felt dirty. He tried to ignore the feeling, but it was hard.

Now, he ran his hands over his head. It was too familiar, just too much a déjà vu. He remembered that he had done the same thing back when he was a child and his father had shaved his head. Like it had been back then, he felt ashamed about not being able to defend himself and had to let somebody mess with his looks. _Damn it!_ He rammed his fist hard against the ceramic wall. His hair was _his_, and still he couldn't do with it what he wanted. He would have wanted it longer, not as long as Ron's, but certainly longer than a military cut. _But no! _They didn't even let him keep his hair. He wondered if, in later life, he would ever be able to go to a hairdresser's without feeling a twinge of pain. He drove his fist against the wall again, ignoring the throbbing. And again. And again. And again. It helped him to forget the humiliation. And since he couldn't smash his fist into Douglas's stupid face…

And then he heard the door open with a creak.

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**THE BOGEY MAN'S COMING! ^^ Reviews are again much appreciated. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **As usual. Don't own nothing. Not CSI Miami, not G4L, nothing. **Thanks** go to the amazing DF95, my lovely and supporting beta

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**Chapter 11**

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**Playing with fire finna get you wet (Rihanna – G4L)

* * *

Ryan swallowed. _Come on, God, you must be joking. I'm standing here half naked, and you really have nothing better to do than this? _But he managed to keep his composure. "Darren. Long time no see. How's community labour?" He had decided that, despite feeling unimaginably vulnerable, standing all naked in front of his foe, to maintain an aura of strength and cockiness. It was all he had left.

But Darren didn't even react, "Now, look at this. Big, bad Wolfe, all naked. Dude, I gotta tell you: you look way more impressive with a wife beater on in boxing training. Like this you look kinda… yeah, thin."

Ryan fought the urge to cover himself up. He couldn't let Darren see how uneasy he felt, "Yeah, I know, you probably look like Arnie when naked. Now, leave me alone, I gotta get ready."

"For tonight? Somebody made you his bitch? That why you're getting all cleaned up?" He smiled, "I can see somebody has had his hands on you already. Nice haircut you got there. Seems the blade was pretty sharp."

"Anything else you want to add? You really bore me with your crap." Ryan was still wondering what Darren was doing here. It was late, and his father had probably gone home by now. Or was Darren here to pick him up? He knew Darren had his license already.

"Oh, a lot, Wolfe. As you already know, I have been sentenced to community labour. And I am _very _unhappy about it. I wanted to trash you in the ring, but my dad won't let you out. And I cannot wait. So…"

"So what, you decided to come here and trash me? You're even more stupid then I thought. The only thing you'll get from it is even more trouble." Ryan shook his head; he knew Darren wasn't the brightest, but that was even stupid for his standard. "Wait till I get out of here, and we'll settle this man to man in the ring."

"Ah, see, Wolfe, that's where you are wrong. You think I'll come here and trash you, and then you'll go to the police and report me once again. That won't happen."

"Yeah, right."

"You won't, Wolfe. Because my dad told me something. My dad told me that you have an uncle… Do I really need to continue?"

Ryan froze. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Of course Douglas Sr. would tell his son about Ron. And of course Darren would use that against him, just like his father did. And of course, Ryan would not report Darren again if he had to fear that they would report Ron in return. So he just bit his lip and said, "Okay, okay, I get it. Just for the record: that, my friend, is really low. But, okay, do what you need to."

Darren laughed, "Oh my God, I can't believe this actually works!" He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Ryan recognized it as a sock. Darren looked around, "Did you use all the soap, Wolfe?"

Ryan shook his head, "There's some more back there." _Why am I telling him this? Oh well, it wouldn't change a thing. _

Darren found it and filled the sock, "I heard this hurts like a bitch."

Ryan shrugged, "I really don't care anymore."

* * *

It was again an hour later when Ryan finally managed to get into his room. He had fought bravely; he had even managed to wind the sock out of Darren's hand and deliver a few blows himself. But he had still been wet from the shower, and had slipped too often to really defend himself. Now, he limped towards his bed and hid under the covers. It had really hurt like a bitch; Ryan closed his eyes and tried to breathe the pain away. Darren had aimed at Ryan's back, front, and sides. Ryan knew why. He had spared Ryan's face so nobody would notice. And aimed at the extremities to cause maximum discomfort. Ryan knew that for the next few days and nights, every movement would hurt. Ryan tried to get into a comfortable position, but it proved to be hard. But the pain wasn't the worst. The worst was the feeling of not being able to fight back. And Ryan knew he couldn't. Because of his fear for Ron, he had to take whatever Douglas, or his son, would deal him. The pain, he could handle, but the feeling of being completely at their mercy was more than he could endure.

* * *

It was early in the morning when somebody nudged Ryan. Ryan moaned quietly, but then startled out of his sleep, for fear it was Douglas.

But it was only Owen. "Whoa, easy, Ryan. It's just me!"

Ryan opened his eyes and saw that it was still dark outside. That was too early, even for Douglas. So he calmed down again, "Owen… what's the matter, why are you waking me up?"

"I was worried. I actually wanted to wait for you, but well, I fell asleep. Now I wake up and notice you're here, so I wanted to find out what took you so long. Before Douglas wakes us up. You alright, kid?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine." No way would he tell them…

But Owen had noticed the cuts on his head already, "The bastard. What else did he do?"

"Nothing. Listen, I'm tired, can we do this later?"

But Owen didn't let it go. Instead, he pulled the rough blanket Ryan had curled together under away. When he saw the bruises, his expression changed from pissed off to furious. "Who did that to you?"

"Can you give me the blanket back? Jesus Christ, Owen, I'm okay."

"You're not." Owen reached out and shook Wallace awake. "Wallace, get your ass out of your bed."

Ryan by now was really embarrassed, "Owen, please, can't you just keep quiet?"

"No, I won't." He walked over to Chris's bed and roughly pulled him out of it. "Chris, get up." When Chris and Wallace were remotely awake, Owen asked Ryan again, "Who did this to you? One of the other recruits?"

Ryan shook his head, "No. Really, Owen, it's not…"

"Shut up, Wolfe. Now, answer my question."

Ryan frowned, "Wow, you're gonna make one hell of a good soldier later on. Okay, so, it was Douglas' son who did this." He pointed at the purple bruises. "The rest was all the recruits."

"Why didn't you call for help?" Owen asked.

Ryan sighed, "It happened in the showers. Nobody would have heard me."

"Why don't you go talk to your father?"

Ryan turned to Wallace, "Do you tell your dad everything? There are just some things my father doesn't need to know."

"Yeah, okay, but this one's different! Look at you, Wolfe."

"Yeah, I look like crap, because I am dead tired, and I just want to sleep, and you guys are keeping me awake here." He was by now really annoyed. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm only a year younger than you, so stop treating me like your little brother. And give me my blanket back."

Owen shrugged and tossed Ryan's blanket back, "Okay, man, your choice. We're just trying to help you. Where're you going?" he asked Chris who walked to the door.

"I'm going to the toilet. You want anymore details?"

"Screw you. I hope you get an infection."

Chris grinned, "Yeah, right. Go back to bed, guys; we still have about 10 minutes left before the jerk rings the alarm."

"Just great." Ryan muttered and hid his head under the blanket. He had to apologize to Owen, later. He was really moved by their concern, and if it hadn't been for Ron, he would have told them everything and made plans to get back at Darren. But he couldn't let them know. There was his uncle's future on the line.

But the alarm didn't ring. Instead, about half an hour later, one of the recruits from another room came into Ryan's room, out of breath. "Wolfe? Douglas wants to see you! There's a visitor for you."

Ryan frowned, "A visitor? Who?"

The recruit shrugged, "I don't know. I just got ordered to get you."

Ryan thanked the guy and turned to the others, "That's weird. Douglas told me I wasn't supposed to get visitors. I hope nothing's wrong at home…"

But Chris shook his head, "Don't worry. I called your father this morning and told him about what happened. He's probably here to get you out."

Ryan froze, "You did what?"

"Yeah. I thought…"

"Are you mental? How could you do that?" Ryan had started shaking.

Chris didn't get the problem, "Come on, Wolfe, after what happened last night, I just couldn't sit here and watch how Douglas and his brat treat you. So, I decided to use one of my precious calls and call you dad. Remember when I went to the toilet earlier? I never had to. I did this for you, man."

Ryan sat down on the bed again, his legs shaking too much to carry him anymore, "Oh my God. Oh my God. Please, no." His father would kill him. He had made it very clear that if Ryan acted up, he would feel the consequences.

The guys around him were shocked by his reaction. Owen laid a hand on his shoulder, "Man, that's good news. Your dad will get you out of here."

Ryan, although his breathing had suddenly gotten so much harder, managed to keep his mask on, "Yeah, I know… I'm just…. It's prolly just because I'm so happy. I hope he isn't too disappointed that I couldn't do this." _I hope he isn't too furious that I couldn't do this…_

Owen smiled, "Don't worry, Ryan. Your dad is a good man. He will understand. After all, this wasn't our usual training, but bullying. And I doubt that he will be disappointed. You didn't even call for his help yourself."

Ryan nodded, "Yeah. True." Then he got up. "I better get going. My dad is a busy man."

He waved farewell to the others and walked over to Douglas' office, all the while steadying himself on the wall for fear his legs would give in. _He's gonna kill me. He's gonna be so angry he'll beat the shit out of me for bringing shame on the family. I should run away. I have Ron's money here with me. Dad's probably gonna slap me the moment I enter that office. _He bit his lip, trying to fight the tears of fear that came to his eyes. He felt nauseous, and the long hallway started dancing in front of his eyes. He was sure that without the wall, he wouldn't be able to walk. _I can't do this. I can't. He's gonna give it to me harder than ever before. Daddy, I'm so sorry, I tried, I really tried, I never meant for you to hear what happened here. Please, don't hurt me._

Now he stood in front of Douglas' office and raised his trembling hand to knock on the door. The door opened. Ryan's vision was blurred, but he would recognize the voice and tone everywhere.

"Ryan!"

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**Yeah, I know, I'm being really cruel to Ryan :o(**


	12. Chapter 12

**Guys, I am so sorry for the long wait! I was terribly busy! But I have some time on my hands now, so I should be able to provide you with more regular updates.**

**Another thing I'm sorry for is that I didn't get this chapter prrof read. My beta is busy, and I haven't been able to reach my other beta. I figured you wouldn't mind some weird English and a few typos if it meant a faster update. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own nothing you is from Rihanna's _Disturbia,_ which I don't own either.  
**

**Warning: Childabuse and humiliation in this chapter. Nothing for the faint hearted.**

**

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Chapter 12**

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**On my life, on my head, don't wanna think about it, feels like I'm going insane... (Rihanna - Disturbia)**

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Ryan didn't even have a chance to breathe out when Ron was at his side and locked him into a borderline non-violent hug. "Ryan! Are you alright?"

"Ron?" Ryan couldn't believe it. Just a second ago, he had been so scared he almost fainted, and now there was his uncle. Not his father. "Ron…"

Ron turned to Douglas, barely able to keep his temper, "I'm going to take him with me. He's not going to stay here."

Douglas, sitting in his comfortable chair, grinned, "You can't. You're not his father. Only his father has the right to take him away from here."

Ron's voice had taken a dangerous tone, "I think you don't understand. I don't care if I have the right or not. This is my nephew, and I won't let you harass him. Talk to my brother, talk to the police, I don't care. But he won't spend another second here." Ron turned away and placed his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Come, Ryan. Get your stuff, and then we're out of here."

"Ron, I…"

"No, Ryan. Don't even try. You're coming with me. Don't worry about your father. I'll handle him." He closed the door behind himself. There, he dropped his gangster façade. "Oh my God, Ryan, what happened to you?"

Ryan tried to not break down, but it was hard. "Ron… I… They said they would report you if I tell somebody. I was so scared when Chris told me he had called dad… Darren beat me up again. They shaved my head… I'm so glad you're here."

Ron laid his arm around Ryan's shoulder. "I'm here, Ryan, and I won't go anywhere…"

Ryan was still shaky, but Ron's comforting presence helped, "But… how did you find out? Chris told me he talked to dad…"

Now, Ron grinned, "Yeah, I know. Apparently your friend Chris didn't know that my lovely brother isn't the only man in the house. I picked up the phone, and he immediately said 'Yeah, Mr Wolfe, my name is Chris. I'm calling about your son…' Of course I didn't tell him that I'm just your uncle. I decided to pretend I was Duke and find out what was happening. When he told me, I immediately came over. And now, you're coming with me."

"But what is my father going to say?" The thought made Ryan tremble again.

But Ron shook his head, "Don't worry about that! If he's got anything to say, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind."

But Duke didn't say anything. He listened to what Ron told him, and nodded, "Okay. But Ron, Mr Douglas has called me, and he wants his assistant back."

Ron, who sat face to face with Duke, grinned, "You leave that to me. I'm gonna talk to him. He won't need an assistant anymore." Ron got up and patted Ryan on the shoulder. "Don't worry. You won't have to go back." He left.

Ryan remained standing where he was, waiting for his father to say something. It came faster than he thought, "Do you know what you've done?"

"Sir, I am sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"You embarrassed me. In front of my colleague. What has gotten into you?"

"Look, I'm sorry, as I said, if it had been up to me, you would have never found out. It wasn't me who called!"

"Be that as it may, I told you what would happen should you disobey." Duke got up from his chair.

Ryan moved back two steps, "Please, Sir… I really didn't want to cause any trouble."

"I don't care! Come back in an hour. I'll think of something to punish you."

Ryan lowered his head, "Yes, Sir."

Then he walked to the bathroom and closed the door. He sat down on the floor and rested his head on his arms. He didn't allow himself any illusions as to what his father would do to him. The only question that remained was belt or cane. And how many hits. Ryan took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself down. It had been too much. First the humiliation in the mud. Then the head shave which had reminded him so much of the day his father had shaved his head for the first time. Then the beating. Or more the fact that he had to take it without being able to properly defend himself. All the time being afraid that anything he said or did could bring Ron in hell's kitchen. And finally, those few minutes of fear from the moment Chris had told him he had called his father until the second he had seen Ron in Douglas' office. All those things happened during 10 hours only. It had been too much. He started trembling. _And it's not over yet…_ His father didn't care that it had been Chris, not him, who'd called. He would feel the full force of his father's wrath. If Ron didn't come back soon… He actually wondered if his father would really do something with Ron being around. But then again, Duke knew how to inflict pain without leaving any marks. Not that Ryan needed any more pain. And more, Duke had figured out that Ryan didn't talk to anybody about what happened at home; if he did, Chris would have never called. Duke could be sure that Ryan wouldn't talk. Not even to Ron. He had brought himself in a position that gave Duke absolute power over him.

The trembling increased, and a wave of nausea came over him. If he had eaten something today, he would have thrown up again. Who could blame him? Fear and humiliation, plus the muddy water he had swallowed… He felt shivers running down his spine, and a lump forming in his throat. _Why? Why me? _As far as he could remember, he had done nothing wrong. He had always tried to be nice, to help people in need, to do what his father expected. Never ever had he done anything that could possibly justify what people had done to him during these last few weeks. And still… he had to fight the tears back. It wasn't because of the pain that he was so close to crying. It was sheer desperation. And shame. He felt ashamed that he couldn't defend himself against Darren and his father. Even if he had wanted to. The recruits that had ambushed him the night before had been too many to fight; even if he had tried to, he would have lost. It had made so clear to him that he was too weak to really handle it. And that was the thing that almost made him cry. _First break them, then shape them. _He knew what Douglas had tried to do. Not only did he want to punish Ryan for reporting his son, but he had also tried to make clear to Ryan that as of now, he was just a weakling who tried playing soldier with the big guys. He wanted to make sure Ryan knew exactly where he stood. That he knew he wasn't worth a damn thing. That he knew Douglas could do to him whatever he wanted, and that he _would _do whatever he wanted.

Ryan couldn't hold it back any longer. His body cramped when he tried to throw up, but nothing came. Sweat poured down his body. His hand worked on an automatism when he reached for the toilet brush to clean the non existing dirt. He knew there was nothing, but it calmed him down as he leaned over the toilet, still trying to fight tears back. He watched as his hand holding the toilet brush made its usual swift, regular movements. It was so soothing…

Then the bathroom door opened. Ryan froze as he made eye contact with his father. _I forgot to lock the door…_ Duke looked down at him. At the toilet brush in his hand. Then his eyes rested on Ryan's face. Ryan could only guess what his face looked like. Heated. And his eyes were probably blood shot. _Oh my God, he's gonna think I was…_

Duke's voice was somewhere between ice cold and barely audible when he asked, "Have you been crying?"

"No, I…"

"Don't lie to me, Ryan… And what are you doing with the toilet brush?"

"I just… I wanted to clean the toilet."

"Why did you want to clean the toilet? Were you throwing up?"

"No, I…"

Duke was barely able to control his temper, "How many years have I been telling you to _not_ cry? And to _not_ show any weaknesses."

"I'm sorry, Sir, I…"

Duke was in front of him with two steps. Ryan, still sitting on the floor, lowered his head. Duke reached out his hand. Ryan handed him over the toilet brush, not being able to control his trembling fingers. Duke took a look at it. Then he started bringing it down on Ryan. One time, two times, three times. Ryan curled himself in a ball in the corner between the wall and the toilet, but Duke continued hitting him nevertheless. With every blow Duke delivered, drops of water from the toilet brush sprayed around. It didn't really hurt; it was just disgusting.

Duke was out of breath, but he only stopped when no water was left on the brush. Then he locked his grip around Ryan's arm and pulled him out of his protective corner. Without a word, he pulled him out of the bathroom, down the stairs and outside into the backyard. It had been pouring the whole night and still was, and the whole backyard, usually a nice sight, was all ruined.

There, Duke shoved Ryan so he fell to the ground. Ryan was soaked within seconds. "You behave like a girl, Ryan! It's just mud. Once you sign up, you will have to face this everyday, you understand?" Duke was furious, and the sight of Ryan lying in the mud, motionless, only made it worse. "Now, you're gonna do one hundred push ups, and then one hundred sit ups, and then you'll go back to the base and apologize to Mr Douglas and ask him to keep you as his assistant. And if I hear one word from you again over the next three weeks, I swear you won't be able to look at yourself in the mirror again. Do you understand?"

Ryan raised his head only so slightly, "Yes, Sir."

"Then repeat to me what you're gonna do now."

"I will do one hundred push ups. Then one hundred sit ups. And then I'll go back to the base."

"Good. I'll go back inside now. The rain is killing me. Before you go to the base though, I want you to clean my shoes. And don't even try to cheat, because I will observe you from the window." Duke turned around and got back into the house.

Ryan remained lying in the mud until he knew his father had reached the window from where he could see him. Then he rolled onto his stomach and started doing his push ups. It was hard work because by now, his clothes were wet and heavy. Plus the effort of lifting himself from the wet ground made his arms ache already after the first ten. He closed his eyes, bit his lip and concentrated on his duty.

But he didn't come far. After the thirty-first, suddenly, he heard a car door close, and only seconds later, he heard a voice, "Dammit, Ryan, what are you doing?" He didn't react until Ron was next to him, kneeling down besides him, "I asked you what you're doing?"

"I have to…" Ryan muttered. "He's watching me…"

Ron raised his head and looked towards the house where Duke was standing at a window, a cup in his hands. Through clenched teeth, Ron said, "You damn bastard…" He then pulled Ryan up from the ground, as forceful as Duke had grabbed him before, but without hurting him. "Stop, Ryan. Get in with me. You're gonna catch a cold if you stay here."

Ryan let him do, his arms much too weak to shake Ron off. "But Ron's, he's gonna."

"He won't do a thing. That I promise to you!" His uncle was shaking from anger. Ryan doubted he had ever seen Ron so upset. "Or else he's gonna have to face me."

"Ron…" Ryan had trouble standing on his feet. "Ron, I don't know what to do anymore… He's so angry at me. He caught me in the bathroom when I had an OCD attack. He beat me up with the toilet brush. I can't take this anymore…"

Ron looked at his nephew, noticing the kid was close to breaking down completely. He laid his arm around Ryan's waist, so that, unnoticed by Duke, he could steady him. "Don't worry, Ryan. Don't worry. I'll get you out of here. You go upstairs now, take a hot shower, and I repeat, a _hot_ shower, and go to bed. I promise to you, when you wake up, I'll have things settled. You won't need to go back to the base. And your father won't lay hands on you again for this. And if I have to chop them off."

Ryan wanted to believe his uncle, but the whole day took its toll on him now. He was shaking from the cold and the effort, from being humiliated by Douglas and his father, from fear and pain. He barely noticed Ron helping him to get up the stairs and to the bathroom.

There, Ron let go of him, "I'm going to talk to your father. Don't look the bathroom door, please. If you collapse, I want to be able to get in." He softly ran his hand over Ryan's head. "Don't worry, kid. I'll be right back to protect you as good as I can." Ryan only nodded; he knew if he opened his mouth to speak, he wouldn't be able to fight back the tears any longer. But the look in his eyes told Ron enough so that he pulled his nephew into a hug again, "I'm so sorry, Ryan. I shouldn't have left earlier."

"It's okay…" Ryan answered, his voice being barely more than a whisper. Then he pulled himself out of Ron's hug, locked himself in the bathroom and slid down the door.

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**Poor Ryan :o( Put there's more to come. *evil laugh* In the meantime, go and read EmilyBlake's new story, _The Madness within. _GREAT STUFF!**


	13. Chapter 13

And a new chapter. Still not beta read, so forgive any mistakes.

**Disclaimer: Don't own nothing you recognize. Romeo and Juliet belong to William Shakespeare**

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**Chapter 13 **

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**_From ancient grudge break to new mutiny – Romeo & Juliet, Prologue_

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Ryan slept the whole day until the next morning without being disturbed. He was so exhausted that he didn't even dream. When he woke up again, the sun stood high on the sky. He hesitated, not knowing what would await him outside, but he decided to nevertheless get up and face his family.

They were gone. The only one in the kitchen was Ron. He looked up when Ryan entered. "Ryan. You're awake?"

Ryan nodded, "I am."

"How do you feel?"

Ryan sat down at the table and shrugged, "Ashamed. I shouldn't have whined so much."

It was obviously not the answer Ron had expected. He just said, "Ryan, there is no need to feel ashamed."

"Let's not talk about it. Please." He got up and prepared himself a cup of coffee. Then he asked, "What did my father say?" He dreaded the answer but he needed to know.

"He's not particularly happy." Ron knew lying wasn't an option. "But he'll get over it."

Ryan nodded. "Just what I expected… Do I have to go back to the base?"

Now, Ron shook his head, "No. I took care of that."

"What did you do?" Ryan sensed something. "You know they know what you do for a living?"

Ron leaned back on the chair and grinned, "Yeah, I know. Let's just say I convinced him to… forget it. Forget about me and forget about you. He's talking to your dad right now. And I'm sure he will tell your father he doesn't need an assistant anymore."

"Ron, what did you do?"

Ron got up from the table, "I talked to him. No need for you to worry."

Ryan shrugged, "Okay, if you say so." He took a sip of the coffee, "When are you leaving?"

Ron looked out of the window, "That's the bad news. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Tomorrow already? I thought you were staying for a month." Ryan swallowed, "But… until then Dad won't have forgotten…"

"Don't worry, Ryan. I'm going to take you with me."

"What?"

"It's summer, and you will come with me to Miami for holidays. If you want, that is."

Ryan hesitated, "You think he'll say yes?"

"Oh, he will, believe me." Ron grinned. "Now, do you want to come and play?"

Ryan couldn't help but smiling to, "I do." Then he became serious again, "Thank you, Ron. For everything you've done for me during the last couple of days. I... I don't know if I…"

But Ron waved him to be silent, "There's no need to thank me. I did what I had to. You're my nephew. It's my duty to protect you." He then added, "Besides, you're very dear to me. You're an excellent kid, and you deserve much better than this." He then looked out of the window again, "Your father's coming."

A minute later, Duke got in the kitchen. Ryan was immediately alert. He knew his father well enough to see that the man was furious. Duke looked first at Ryan, then at his brother, "Mr Douglas informs you both that he doesn't need an assistant anymore. I think he was rather happy to see Ryan leave. And he said that if you ever get to close to him again, he'll report you." His eyes were stone cold, "Did you really threaten him with your baseball bat and said that, if he doesn't comply with your wishes, you'd send some friends over?"

Ron nodded, obviously very proud of himself. "Yah. I'm quite happy though I don't have to. They're quite expensive."

"Are you mental? Why do you make such a fuzz about this?"

Ron lost his casual attitude, "Because this man and his son tortured your kid. It would have been your job to go there and tell him off. I had to do it. And I did it my way."

"He's a good friend of mine."

"He's a bastard, and he deserved a few good hits." Ron was now just as angry as his brother. "You can be happy I didn't break any of his important bones. Now, there's something else I need to talk to you about. I'm leaving tomorrow, and I want Ryan to come with me for the rest of his holidays."

"Not happening."

"Duke… We'd better go into your office. This might get ugly, and the kid has seen enough ugly things this week."

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When they were in the office, Ron immediately said, "Look, Duke, I know you know how Ryan must feel right now. You and I have been there too. You know he needs to get out. At least for a while."

Duke walked around his desk and sat in his chair, "I don't see the problem. Yes, you and I have been there, too, but it didn't hurt now, did it? We grew stronger!"

"That's what we know now, but you remember how we felt when we were younger?"

"So what? He might be feeling bad now, but once he's grown up, he'll thank me for it."

"Are you sure about that? Do you thank our father everyday that he turned you into an emotional wreck? Your son is suffering, Duke. And you don't even notice. Or, do you notice, but simply don't care?"

"Strength comes through suffering, Ron. You know that. I know that. And yes, I do thank our father everyday for making a man out of me."

Ron shook his head, "I can't believe it! Well, let me tell you one thing: I don't thank my father for what's he's done to me! Do you know how long it took me to forget the constant humiliation and pain he made me go through?"

"Do you know how much you hurt him by not following in his shoes?" Duke wasn't angry. He was disappointed. "And not only that. You decided to become one of the bad guys. It breaks his heart."

"So be it. I think that's a fair exchange for breaking my nose when he did." Ron was shaking now; the memories of his father's abuse that he had tried to forget had come back crashing down on him. But that only helped him fighting for Ryan. "Duke, I beg you, let the kid come with me. It's just for a month. He needs to get out of here. At least for a bit. If not, he'll break down before long."

"I said 'no'."

"Duke, please."

"No!"

Ron took a deep breath, "Okay. If that's your last word, I will go out, to the nearest police station, and report you for abuse."

"We've been there before, Ron. You can't do anything. They won't believe you when I tell them you're a professional safe cracker."

"They will believe me when I give myself up."

"You wouldn't!" Duke was suddenly all ears. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

Duke growled, "Ron, this is nonsense. You can't…"

"I can, Duke. And I will. I know what your son is going through, I have felt it myself, and I am not going to let it happen. You're right when you say I cannot take him in if he doesn't want to. But that won't stop me from taking him away from you. I have thought about this for a long time. But when I saw him yesterday, I knew what to do. I will talk to the police if you don't let him come with me. If I go down, fine." Ron hesitated a bit, but then said, "And if that's not enough, I can call my friends. You know, the friends I would have called for Douglas."

Duke laughed, "I'm a soldier, Ron. You really think you can scare me?"

"You have no idea. And would you like Doreen to see you after being roughed up?"

"Leave my wife out of this."

Ron smiled, "Funny. You always tell Ryan to not show weaknesses. Now you showed one to me. Do you really want to break Doreen's heart? Do you really want to see her cry over your deformed face? I remember how sad she was hen she saw your other scars." Ron didn't like the way this went. He loved his sister-in-law, and hurting her, or Deborah and Ryan, was the last thing he wanted. And he knew he couldn't. He couldn't call his friends and tell them to beat up his brother, and thereby hurt Doreen and the children. But it didn't matter that he couldn't. As long as Duke believed him, it didn't matter.

And Duke believed him. Well, sort of. He knew that Ron wasn't a brutal man, and he knew that Ron would never do something that would hurt Doreen. But he also knew that Ron loved his nephew. And that he didn't care about his brother. He wouldn't lose a night of sleep over getting Duke beaten up. Over hurting the rest of the family, yeah, but not about Duke. And he knew how much Duke loved his wife. He would fight the world for Doreen. And to see her cry, again, because of him, was more he could endure. He had never forgotten the moment when Doreen had seen him naked for the first time. Although she knew that his father was a hard man, the rumours she'd heard at school back then didn't prepare her for the truth. It had taken him a whole night, a night that was originally supposed to be full of caresses and kisses, to calm her down again. Even today, he could still see a flicker of pain in her eyes when she saw him naked. He just couldn't let her go through more pain.

So he said, "Okay, Ron. I'll let him go with you. But you're gonna bring him back. If not, be assured I won't hesitate to call _my _friends."

Ron returned coldly, "I am prepared. But as much as I'd love to keep Ryan with me, I have realised he would want to come back. Congratulations: your son is more loyal to you than most soldiers to their country." He left the office and went back to the kitchen where Ryan was cleaning the dishes. With boiling water and bare hands, Ron noticed. "You better go and pack your bags, little one. Coz tomorrow you and I are off to Miami."

The smile on Ryan's face made him happier than he could tell.

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**So, I'm giving Ryan a little break from the bad things. Or am I? Yeah, I am.**

**On another note, I opened a poll on my profile for my next story. 4 choices for you to chose from. You are invited to click the little Vote button, if you have special preferences to what you want me to write next. I'll leave the poll open till... Christmas, I think. Thanks in advance :o)  
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	14. Chapter 14

Warning! Mentions of child abuse.

**Chapter 14**

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_Because of you - I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me (Because of you - Kelly Clarkson)_

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They had barely sat foot down in Miami when Ron already dragged his nephew down to the beach. They sat down in the sand, Ron with a bottle of water that smelled rather strong for simple tab water, Ryan with a can of coke.

Ron took a large sip from his bottle, "Oh, this feels so good! Haven't had a decent vodka in two weeks!"

"Do you think it's a good idea to drink vodka in the sun? With this heat?" Ryan was amused.

"I've been living here for almost 20 years. I know exactly how this works." Ron put the bottle away and took his shirt off. "I missed the sun. The weather is Boston those last days was crap. I still don't know why my brother decided to stay there."

"He thinks Miami is too dangerous to raise a proper family here. He thinks the city is full of naked girls, pimps, and people like you."

"Oh well, can't say anything against that…" Ron yawned and outstretched on the sand. "_When I find myself in times of trouble…_"

"_Mother Mary comes to me…" _Ryan breathed the salty air in. "Thanks for having me over, Ron."

"You're welcome. I always like having you over. My flat has never been cleaner than after your last visit."

"So, you only want me here so that I can clean your mess?"

"Yes. You're better at it than any cleaning firm."

Ryan laughed, "Then at least I do have a real alternative to signing up." He turned his head to observe his uncle. He was lying in the sand, his eyes closed. It wasn't the first time he saw his uncle half naked, but the sight of his body always made Ryan sad. "Can I ask you a question, Ron?"

"Shoot."

"These scars… on your body… was that grand pa?"

"Except for this one…" He pointed at a long scar going from his lower chest down and disappeared in his boxers. "That was an appendicitis. This butcher of a doctor ruined all my dreams to become an underwear model…" His grin was only short lived when he then added, "But the rest was my father, yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Just… well… I don't know."

"Don't worry. Your dad's not going to do this to you."

"Oh, I know… It's just…."

Ron opened his eyes and turned his head to Ryan, "Yeah?"

Ryan thought a bit before saying, "I just can't get over the fact that your father has been such a…."

"Bastard? I can understand. I should have never told you."

"No, it's okay. I just have a hard time imagining why a father would do this to his kids."

"According to your father it's to make 'a man out of us'. But believe me, I didn't understand it either. And I don't understand why Duke continues the tradition. In every way."

"He's not that bad…"

"That might be true, but it's bad enough." Ron took a deep breath. "If you were my son, I wouldn't do this. I'd make sure you have a good childhood. But it's too late now."

"You already help me more than you can imagine." Ryan whispered. "If I had to go back to Douglas…" His voice broke.

Ron sighed, "I shouldn't have let you go in the first place. I knew it was wrong. I guess I just hoped that your father would take care that you're not being… well, that they would not be too hard on you. I was an idiot." He chuckled, "I should know my brother better."

"You couldn't have done anything…"

"I know. Still, I feel like I should have tried more. But it has happened now." Ron wasn't nearly as calm as his words sounded.

"It's okay, Ron. At least you protected me from being punished by dad." He took another look at Ron, "I didn't know a belt could leave such scars."

"It wasn't a belt." was Ron's short answer. "Your grandfather stopped early enough with the belt. When he noticed it didn't impress me anymore. You know, when you get the belt almost every evening, at some point it doesn't scare you anymore. So my father decided to get the heavy equipment out."

"Which was?"

"He wrapped some barbed wire around his cane and hit me with it. That's where the scars come from."

Ryan was shocked, "That's horrible."

"It hurt like a bitch." Ron murmured. "But it didn't break me. At least, not enough, to his taste. So, he locked me up in the basement." He closed his eyes, "He called my school, telling the principal I was down with some sort of flu. He even got his friend, who was a doctor, to sign the necessary papers. He kept me locked there for about two weeks. No light whatsoever. I got some bread and a bottle of water everyday. Nobody talked to me. It was complete isolation. The first day was okay. The second day I started pacing the room. After a week, I was lying on the stairs, crying, begging him to let me out. After two weeks, I was completely numb to everything. I don't even remember the moment he let me out. I just know that this was the last straw. When I was strong enough again to walk, I ran away from home. When they found me and brought me back home, I told my father I wasn't gonna sign up. My mom had to stop him from kicking me to death."

Ryan didn't answer anything at first. He was too upset.

Ron noticed, "Don't worry. Look at me now: I'm stunning. And the girls dig my tragic past. You wouldn't believe how many women have a hidden nurse in them…" As he noticed Ryan's wasn't smiling, he said, "Ryan, really, I got over it."

"I know. Still… I didn't know just how hard your childhood was. And my dad's."

Ron nodded and then got up, "Come on, let's go home. I didn't drag you here to tell you all about my horrible childhood. We'll go home, unpack, take a long shower, then we'll order us some nice dinner, watch a fun movie, and then we'll go out and run the streets till tomorrow morning. I'll even let you have a sip of my vodka."

* * *

_It was so cold. So freaking cold. __He was soaked. The rain felt like ice on his bare skin. He was naked. They had torn his clothes, and now he was lying naked face front in the mud, at the mercy of these brutal guys. Every one looked like the Incredible Hulk. Not green, but mighty angry nevertheless. They had pinioned him down on the muddy ground, sitting hard on his arms and legs. He screamed, he even cried, but they only laughed. "Oh look at him, he's crying. You're such a wimp!" He didn't care. He just cried more. When the one who was sitting on his chest suddenly pulled out a knife, he begged for mercy. But to no avail. The faceless guy grabbed a bunch of his hair and started cutting it off at the root. He didn't care that the knife broke skin; he even pressed firmly against it so that it started bleeding. Ryan screamed, now out of pain. But the guy only laughed some more and pushed Ryan's head into the mud. His mouth filled with water as he noticed a pair of hands on his head, keeping it down, while more strands of his hair were being ripped off more than cut. He didn't want to, but the pain made him scream. Of course the screams were muffled as he was still with his head in the mud, but he could hear them laughing anyways. He tried to get out of there grip, but they were stronger, so much stronger than him, and they held his head down, he couldn't breath, and more water got into his lungs…_

"Ryan? Ryan, wake up!"

Ryan tossed and turned, "No, please, lemme go, please!"

"Ryan!"

He couldn't shake the hand off and screamed louder. His eyes jerked open and he sat upright. The cold light of the living room slowly brought him back to reality. "Ron?"

Ron's expression was more than worried, "Yes, it's me. I'm here, little one. Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?"

Ron nodded, "Yeah… I… but I'm okay now…" His physical clearly showed that he wasn't. Cold sweat was running down his back, and his head hurt so much he must have scratched it when he had dreamt of the knife. And his eyes… he ran his hand towards his face and noticed the remainders of the salty tears he must have shed during his dream. "Thank you for waking me up."

If he couldn't see the pain in his own face, he could see the reflection of it in Ron's. His uncle was close to tears himself. "Ryan… these fucking bastards. I should have killed this Douglas when I had the chance to."

"No, Ron, really…" Ryan was still shaking. "It's okay. You don't need to kill him. Or anybody."

Ron sighed and sat down in front of the couch, "Ryan. I'm gonna ask this question only once. Are you sure you don't want to stay here? Do you really wanna go back to Boston?"

Ryan lowered his head and murmured, "I have to. He's my dad."

"Ryan, I know you feel like you owe him obedience, but you don't. You're old enough. If you tell them you don't wanna stay with him, but with me, or on your own… Look at you. You can't go back."

"Why can't I?"

Ron hesitated, "Because you're not meant to be a soldier."

"I'm too weak?"

"Stop talking nonsense, Ryan. You're harder than most kids your age. But even you can't take more of this."

"I have to. I will become a soldier."

"Is this really what you want?"

Ryan had to look away from Ron, "You know I don't. But I have to. You could take the hate from your family. I can't. I'd give the world to hear him say he's proud of me. And if this is the only way I can hear that… You know I'm used to follow orders."

"Ryan…"

But Ryan raised his hand, "Please, Ron, stop it. Don't make it harder." He smiled bitterly, "I appreciate everything you did for me. But I've taken my decision. If I have to sign up just to make my father respect me, then this is the price I'll pay." His voice was strained when he continued, "I wish I was as strong as you, but I am not. If I already break at the hands of my father's friend, how do you imagine I will break if my father does to me what your father did to you? I couldn't handle it."

"There's a difference, Ryan. I was alone. You're not."

"It doesn't matter…. I think I'll go back to sleep now. Thanks for waking me up." He stretched out on the couch again, his back turned to Ron. He heard when, after one minute, Ron got up from the floor and left the living room for the kitchen. A few seconds later, he heard the clinking of glass, and then the bubbling of a liquid being poured into it.

He hated to see his uncle hurt like this. He knew he was. And Ryan felt ashamed that it was him who had hurt Ron. But there was nothing he could do. He hadn't been able to get the story Ron had told him of his mind. He had always thought he had a rough childhood, but, oh lord, Ron's and his own father's had been so much worse. To imagine what his father must have gone through hurt him more than he could tell. He actually felt a twinge of hate for his grandfather. How could he do this to his own children? If the old man was here now, Ryan wasn't sure what he would do to him. But his father had gone to so many hardships… how could he, Ryan, complain about such small things? He was now determined he would become a soldier. He would make his father happy, and make up for all the pain dealt to him by his own father's hand. And, maybe, the day Ryan would be a full grown soldier, he would see his father smile and tell everybody who would want to hear it that Ryan was his son, and that he was proud of him. And maybe, at some point, Ryan would stop being afraid of his father.

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**AN: As of now, we do have a winner in the poll. If you want your favourite story to be written, VOTE, guys :o)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 **

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**_Acting like a bitch finna get you hurt (Rihanna – G4L)_

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Three weeks later, Ryan stood in front of his house again. He hesitated to open the door. Okay, three weeks had passed, but he still didn't know whether his father had forgiven him in the meantime. But really, it didn't matter. Ryan would take whatever his father would put on him. Take it like a man. So he took a deep breath and opened the door.

No one was there. That was not a real surprise. His father certainly was at work, his mom either at work or doing the grocery shopping, and Deborah was probably either at ballet or at a friend's. But when he opened the door to the living room, he noticed the TV was running and his sister sitting on the sofa, her eyes glued to the screen. Or so it seemed. When Ryan moved closer, he could tell from Deborah's look that she was completely absent. Ryan grinned, moved as close to her as he could and let his heavy bag fall down next to the couch. Deborah screamed and jumped off the couch, hitting her knee on the coffee table.

Ryan leaned against the couch and grinned, "I'm back, sister." He knew it had been a completely irrational thing to do. Deborah would run to their father and tell him Ryan had scared her, and he would get punished. But hell, who cared? He just loved those rare moments where he could pay Deborah back.

But the fun was soon gone. Deborah looked at him, tears springing to her eyes, and ran upstairs to her room. Ryan frowned. _What the….? _But then he shrugged. He had way other problems than his sister's puberty. Tomorrow, school would start again. He actually looked forward to it. While he had enjoyed the time off with Ron, he didn't like being unoccupied. It allowed thoughts to come to his head that he didn't want to think. But tomorrow, he would go back to school, and he could worry about exams and how he was supposed to stay awake when classes got too boring.

* * *

Daniel was already sitting in the classroom in the front row when Ryan entered. As usual, Daniel had kept the seat next to him vacant for Ryan. He grinned when he saw his friend, "Now Wolfeman, you look like you had one hell of a good holiday! Gorgeous tan!"

Ryan frowned, "Did your sexual orientation changed over the past few weeks?"

"Just trying to be nice, man. You look good. It's been a while since I saw your face without any bruises."

Ryan couldn't help but grin, too. He had actually missed Daniel's dead pan jokes. "Yeah, it feels like a whole new situation for me too. How was your holiday?"

"Fine, fine. We went to Jerusalem to visit my grandparents. Lemme tell you, those are really conservative. And they were mocking about my Hebrew pronunciation." He made a grimace. "How was your holiday?"

"Great. I was in Miami with my uncle."

"That explains the tan. How are the girls in Miami?"

Ryan shrugged, "Nothing special, really. A bit more tanned and more naked than here, but otherwise…And the guys are really arrogant. I ran into this Cuban hunk at the beach who looked at me like I was a complete idiot because I was almost knocked over by a seagull."

"They have seagulls in Miami?"

"Guess so. At least it was enormous bird…" Ryan silenced when the teacher came in.

After their last class, Ryan and Daniel made their way to the building to get to the exit. Daniel was already fed up, "Geez, I don't really know why I was looking forward to this crap! I hate school. I want to go back to Jerusalem and put up with my grandparents."

Ryan just shrugged, "I'm glad to be back, really."

"You are a very strange man, Wolfeman. Very strange. My bubbe would say weird."

Ryan wanted to answer something, but was distracted when he saw Vince and Darren waiting at the entrance door. Most probably for him. "You don't have your fancy camera with you, by any chance?"

"Nope. Why?"

"I'd like to have a visual memory of my face today before it's broken to pieces again." He pointed at Vince and Darren.

Daniel understood, "You're still having trouble with them?"

Ryan nodded, "Yah. They're both having a record now. Darren's father let me feel it when I was working for him."

"I see. You wanna take the back exit?"

"Nah. They already saw me. I don't wanna be called a coward."

"Okay. But don't worry, I'll be here to protect you."

"That's comforting." Ryan walked on.

When they passed Vince and Darren, Vince raised his voice, "Hey Wolfe. Heard you got a nice soap treatment the other day?" Ryan didn't react. "Well, at least you don't smell like mud anymore…"

Both Darren and Vince laughed, and Darren said, "Or of fear. Heard you cried quite a lot back at the base. Nice haircut, by the way." That was pure taunting, and Ryan knew it. His hair had grown so much that the scratches on his head were not visible anymore. "Think the knife was a bit too sharp, though."

Daniel didn't know what the two were talking about, but he hid it pretty well, "Shut your lousy trap, Darren."

"You shut up, Rosenberg. Or does Wolfe need you to stand up for him now? Wolfe, you got yourself a new bodyguard apart from your uncle?" Ryan still didn't react. "Gotta admit it, he's a pretty impressive figure. More than you, at least. I can imagine why he feels the need to protect you. He must have literally raced to the base to get you out of there when you couldn't defend yourself anymore. Damn, you can be happy that none of my dad's guys were gay, or else they would have torn your pretty ass apart. But then again, what difference would it make? At least then you'd have a real reason to feel ashamed about yourself. Lying naked in the mud and being brutalised by a bunch of guys really…."

He didn't get any further. Something had snapped in Ryan. He didn't know what exactly had triggered this anger in him. Probably the ashamed part. Anyways, he suddenly wasn't in control of himself anymore when threw himself at Darren, knocking him over. He raised his fist and hammered it into Darren's face, again and again. He felt Vince trying to pull him away, he heard Daniel yelling at him to stop, but he just continued. The anger had turned into frustration, the frustration into hatred. He hated this guy's face, and he hated this guy's father, and nothing would stop him from showing this now. So he continued hitting Darren. Darren tried his best to shield his face, but then Ryan just hit everything he could reach. Only when Daniel and Vince both paired up and grabbed each one of Ryan's arms, they managed to pull him away. Ryan struggled and tried his best to break free, but especially Daniel's grip was hard as steel.

Darren rolled himself on the ground, howling like a wounded animal, blood dripping on the floor. His nose was definitely broken; the weird angle couldn't be explained otherwise. Vince let go of Ryan and disappeared.

Daniel patted Ryan on the shoulder, "Man, what the hell is wrong with you? I mean, personally I understand it, but couldn't you have done this in the boxing ring?"

Ryan was breathing heavily. His hands stung from where the skin was damaged, and he was trembling from adrenaline. That bloody bastard had made fun of him in front of all people. At least now, Darren knew that even if Ryan couldn't defend himself against a bunch of soldiers, he could very well make Darren regret he underestimated him.

So he just said, "He had it coming." And turned away. He knew this would have consequences. He knew that as soon as Darren was patched up, he'd call his gang and they would trash Ryan real good. But he didn't care. It had felt good. Beating the chump up had felt great. And Ryan didn't regret it the slightest.

* * *

He went home after having cleaned himself up. His knuckles looked bad, but nothing he couldn't hide. The blood on his shirt could be explained by a nosebleed. He would be fine.

But when he walked upstairs to his room, past his father's office, he froze. His father was on the phone, "Yes, Dr Shaw. No, I'm going to talk to Mr Douglas, please don't worry about it. I'm glad Mr McCormick told you. Of course you cannot tolerate things like this. I won't tolerate it either. I'm sure Ryan was just a bit… No, of course, I don't make up any excuses. Yes, thank you for informing me. Good by, Mr Shaw." Ryan felt his knees giving in. Mr Shaw was the principal. Ryan knew he only had a few seconds to react. He would call Ron, tell him what happened. Ron would make things go away…

But the few seconds weren't enough when the door to his father's office opened and Duke stood face to face to him.

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**Oh my, those two won't become friends anytime soon...**

**BTW, the poll is closed now, and we do have a winner. Results should be on my profile if this really works.  
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